taskvstuskWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“task” and “tusk” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#41,562
“task” frequency rank
#46,504
“tusk” frequency rank
88066
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature task tusk
Definition Tâche, devoir. Défense (dents).

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set task and tusk apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
task
4 ch
tusk

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. task (\ˈtæsk\) and tusk (\ˈtʌsk\) 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 a single letter - a in “task” becomes u in “tusk”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 88066, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

task is recorded at frequency rank #41,562, classified as anoun, pronounced \ˈtæsk\. tusk is at rank #46,504, tagged as anoun, pronounced \ˈtʌsk\.

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 88066, this pair ranks #7,463 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of task vs tusk

Shared letters: kst. Private to "task": a. Private to "tusk": u.

"task" · 4 letters · shape CVCC  ·  "tusk" · 4 letters · shape CVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • taskatsk · taks · taskk · tassk · tsak · ttask
  • tusktsuk · ttusk · tuks · tuskk · tussk · utsk

Frequency comparison

task#41,562
tusk#46,504

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "task" and "tusk" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\ˈtæsk\ versus \ˈtʌsk\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "task" or "tusk"?
"task" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #41,562 in our French list, against #46,504 for "tusk". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering task vs tusk

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 “task” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list