Which to use
“spoil” and “spot” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #32,201
- “spoil” frequency rank
- #10,587
- “spot” frequency rank
- 42788
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | spoil | spot |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Fait de dévoiler à l’avance ou divulguer prématurément un élément clé de l’intrigue d’une œuvre de fiction. | Site particulièrement favorable, par exemple pour exercer un sport de plein air, plus particulièrement un sport de glisse, ou dans le cadre d’une discipline scientifique, etc. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set spoil and spot apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. spoil (\spɔjl\) and spot (\spɔt\) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 42788, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
spoil is recorded at frequency rank #32,201, classified as anoun, pronounced \spɔjl\. spot is at rank #10,587, tagged as anoun, pronounced \spɔt\.
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 42788, this pair ranks #222,952 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of spoil vs spot
Shared letters: ops. Private to "spoil": il. Private to "spot": t.
"spoil" · 5 letters · shape CCVVC · "spot" · 4 letters · shape CCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "spoil" and "spot" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "spoil" or "spot"?
Remembering spoil vs spot
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “spoil” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable