Which to use
“webcam” and “webcast” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #15,306
- “webcam” frequency rank
- #30,287
- “webcast” frequency rank
- 45593
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | webcam | webcast |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A video camera whose output may be viewed in real time over a computer network, originally the World Wide Web. | A video and/or audio broadcast transmitted via the Internet |
Letter map: webcam vs webcast
Shared letters muted; letters that set webcam and webcast apart highlighted. Shared run: 5. webcam runs 6 letters (CVCCVC) against webcast's 7 (CVCCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Pair insight - webcam / webcast
webcam and webcast are indexed as a confusable English pair. We have no recorded pronunciation or part of speech for both members, so the spelling overlap is what we can show you: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 45593, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
webcam is recorded at frequency rank #15,306, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈwɛbˌkæm/. webcast is at rank #30,287, tagged as anoun.
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 45593, this pair ranks #219,793 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of webcam vs webcast
Shared letters: abcew. Private to "webcam": m. Private to "webcast": st.
"webcam" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "webcast" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "webcam" for "webcast" ever safe?
Frequency check: "webcam" vs "webcast" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Done with this confusable. These links stay specific to "webcam" and "webcast".
- Full dictionary entry for "webcam" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "webcast" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #219,793 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- 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 #219,793 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.