Which to use
“average” is an adjective and “averse” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #34,883
- “average” frequency rank
- #28,451
- “averse” frequency rank
- 63334
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | average | averse |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | De qualité moyenne. | Pluie soudaine, abondante et généralement brève. |
Where the eye mixes average and averse
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses average with averse
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: average is \ˈævəɹɪd͡ʒ\ while averse is \a.vɛʁs\. 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 (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 63334, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
average is recorded at frequency rank #34,883, classified as anadj, pronounced \ˈævəɹɪd͡ʒ\. averse is at rank #28,451, tagged as anoun, pronounced \a.vɛʁs\.
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 63334, this pair ranks #82,475 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of average vs averse
Shared letters: aerv. Private to "average": g. Private to "averse": s.
"average" · 7 letters · shape VCVCVCV · "averse" · 6 letters · shape VCVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "average" for "averse" ever safe?
Frequency check: "average" vs "averse" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "average" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "averse" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #82,475 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "average" and "averse" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "avéra vs average". Nearby pair
- 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 #82,475 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.