topicsvstoxicWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: topics is a noun, toxic is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“topics” is a noun and “toxic” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#40,536
“topics” frequency rank
#46,499
“toxic” frequency rank
87035
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature topics toxic
Definition Pluriel de topic. Toxique (dangereux pour la santé).

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set topics and toxic apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
topics
5 ch
toxic

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: topics is \tɔ.pik\ while toxic is \ˈtɒk.sɪk\. 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 (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 87035, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

topics is recorded at frequency rank #40,536, classified as anoun, pronounced \tɔ.pik\. toxic is at rank #46,499, tagged as anadj, pronounced \ˈtɒk.sɪk\.

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 87035, this pair ranks #8,856 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of topics vs toxic

Shared letters: ciot. Private to "topics": ps. Private to "toxic": x.

"topics" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCC  ·  "toxic" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • topicsotpics · toipcs · topcis · topiccs · topicss · topisc · toppics · tpoics
  • toxicotxic · toixc · toxci · toxicc · toxxic · ttoxic · txoic

Frequency comparison

topics#40,536
toxic#46,499

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "topics" and "toxic" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "topics" is a noun and "toxic" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "topics" or "toxic"?
"topics" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #40,536 in our French list, against #46,499 for "toxic". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering topics vs toxic

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “topics”; for an adjective, it's “toxic”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “topics” 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