Which to use
“torque” and “torus” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #12,154
- “torque” frequency rank
- #49,104
- “torus” frequency rank
- 61258
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | torque | torus |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A rotational or twisting effect of a force; a moment of force, defined for measurement purposes as an equivalent straight line force multiplied by the distance from the axis of rotation (SI unit newton-metre or N·m; imperial unit pound-foot or lb·ft, not to be confused with the foot pound-force, commonly "foot-pound", a unit of work or energy) | The standard representation of such a space in 3-dimensional Euclidean space: a surface or solid formed by rotating a closed curve, especially a circle, about a line which lies in the same plane but does not intersect it (e.g. like a ring doughnut). |
Where the eye mixes torque and torus
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: torque vs torus
A purely visual mix-up. torque (/tɔɹk/) and torus (/ˈtɔː.ɹəs/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 61258, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
torque is recorded at frequency rank #12,154, classified as anoun, pronounced /tɔɹk/. torus is at rank #49,104, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈtɔː.ɹəs/.
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 61258, this pair ranks #95,273 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of torque vs torus
Shared letters: ortu. Private to "torque": eq. Private to "torus": s.
"torque" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVV · "torus" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "torque" and "torus" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary English text, does "torque" or "torus" show up more?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "torque" and "torus" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "torque" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "torus" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #95,273 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "torque" and "torus" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "toots vs torus". 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
Confusion rank #95,273 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.