Which to use
“today” is an adverb and “total” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #258
- “today” frequency rank
- #627
- “total” frequency rank
- 885
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | today | total |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | On the current day or date. | An amount obtained by the addition of smaller amounts. |
Where the eye mixes today and total
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: today is /təˈdeɪ/ while total is /ˈtəʊ.tl̩/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (adverb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 885, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
today is recorded at frequency rank #258, classified as anadv, pronounced /təˈdeɪ/. total is at rank #627, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈtəʊ.tl̩/.
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 885, this pair ranks #528,574 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of today vs total
Shared letters: aot. Private to "today": dy. Private to "total": l.
"today" · 5 letters · shape CVCVV · "total" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "today" and "total" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "today" or "total"?
What to do next
You've compared "today" and "total". Here's where to go from here.
- Full dictionary entry for "today" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "total" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #528,574 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "today" and "total" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "total vs tubal". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.