Which to use
“valentine” is a noun and “Valentine's” is a name - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #10,146
- “valentine” frequency rank
- #9,980
- “Valentine's” frequency rank
- 20126
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | valentine | Valentine's |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | An expression of affection, especially romantic affection, usually in the form of greeting card, gift, or message given the object of one's affection, especially on February 14th. | Ellipsis of Valentine's Day. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set valentine and Valentine's apart are highlighted. They share 9 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
valentine and Valentine's 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 2 extra letter(s) - “valentine” sits inside “Valentine's” - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 20126, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
valentine is recorded at frequency rank #10,146, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈvaləntaɪn/. Valentine's is at rank #9,980, tagged as aname.
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 20126, this pair ranks #433,299 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "valentine" and "Valentine's" be used interchangeably?
Remembering valentine vs Valentine's
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “valentine”; for a name, it's “Valentine's”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “valentine” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable