Which to use
“ask” is a verb and “ate” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #26,709
- “ask” frequency rank
- #23,677
- “ate” frequency rank
- 50386
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ask | ate |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Preguntar. | Dulce de membrillo en forma de barra o bloque a modo de dulce seco. |
Where the eye mixes ask and ate
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Look-alike desk: ask vs ate
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: ask is /ˈɑːsk/ while ate is [ˈat̪e]. 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 (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 50386, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ask is recorded at frequency rank #26,709, classified as averb, pronounced /ˈɑːsk/. ate is at rank #23,677, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈat̪e].
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 50386, this pair ranks #103,482 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of ask vs ate
Shared letters: a. Private to "ask": ks. Private to "ate": et.
"ask" · 3 letters · shape VCC · "ate" · 3 letters · shape VCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "ask" for "ate" ever safe?
Which is more common, "ask" or "ate"?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "ask" and "ate" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "ask" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "ate" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #103,482 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ask" and "ate" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ask vs atl". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #103,482 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.