Which to use
“add” is a verb and “an” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #23,436
- “add” frequency rank
- #363
- “an” frequency rank
- 23799
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | add | an |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Additionner, ajouter. | Temps que met la Terre à accomplir une révolution autour du Soleil et qui se divise en douze mois. Année (voir Notes plus bas). |
Where the eye mixes add and an
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Look-alike desk: add vs an
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: add is \æd\ while an is \ɑ̃\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 23799, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
add is recorded at frequency rank #23,436, classified as averb, pronounced \æd\. an is at rank #363, tagged as anoun, pronounced \ɑ̃\.
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 23799, this pair ranks #350,381 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of add vs an
Shared letters: a. Private to "add": d. Private to "an": n.
"add" · 3 letters · shape VCC · "an" · 2 letters · shape VC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "add" and "an" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "add" or "an"?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "add" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "an" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #350,381 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "add" and "an" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "add vs aur". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #350,381 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.