Which to use
“add” is a verb and “AQ” is a name - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #23,436
- “add” frequency rank
- #45,439
- “AQ” frequency rank
- 68875
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | add | AQ |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Additionner, ajouter. | Province de L’Aquila. |
Where the eye mixes add and AQ
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Visual trap between add and AQ
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: add is \æd\ while AQ is \a.ku\. 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 name), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 68875, 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\. AQ is at rank #45,439, tagged as aname, pronounced \a.ku\.
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 68875, this pair ranks #57,359 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of add vs AQ
Shared letters: a. Private to "add": d. Private to "AQ": q.
"add" · 3 letters · shape VCC · "AQ" · 2 letters · shape VC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "add" and "AQ" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "add" vs "AQ" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
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 "AQ" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #57,359 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "add" and "AQ" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "AQ vs aur". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #57,359 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.