Which to use
“undertake” is a verb and “undertaker” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #10,787
- “undertake” frequency rank
- #23,143
- “undertaker” frequency rank
- 33930
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | undertake | undertaker |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | To take upon oneself; to start, to embark on (a specific task etc.). | A funeral director; someone whose business is to manage funerals, burials and cremations. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set undertake and undertaker apart are highlighted. They share 9 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
undertake and undertaker form a confusable pair in the English index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “undertake” sits inside “undertaker” - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 33930, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
undertake is recorded at frequency rank #10,787, classified as averb, pronounced /ˌʌndəˈteɪk/. undertaker is at rank #23,143, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈʌndə(ɹ)ˌteɪkə(ɹ)/.
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 33930, this pair ranks #325,170 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "undertake" and "undertaker" be used interchangeably?
Remembering undertake vs undertaker
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “undertake”; for a noun, it's “undertaker”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “undertake” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable