Which to use
“damn” is a verb and “damned” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #23,507
- “damn” frequency rank
- #48,446
- “damned” frequency rank
- 71953
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | damn | damned |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Maudire, damner. | Damné. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set damn and damned apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: damn is \ˈdæm\ while damned is \ˈdæmd\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “damn” sits inside “damned”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 71953, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
damn is recorded at frequency rank #23,507, classified as averb, pronounced \ˈdæm\. damned is at rank #48,446, tagged as anadj, pronounced \ˈdæmd\.
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 71953, this pair ranks #45,696 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of damn vs damned
Shared letters: admn. Private to "damn": -. Private to "damned": e.
"damn" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "damned" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "damn" and "damned" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "damn" or "damned"?
Remembering damn vs damned
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “damn”; for an adjective, it's “damned”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “damn” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable