expect and expert differ by a single letter, buried far enough into the word to be easy to miss. expect means “regard something as probable or likely”. expert means “having or showing knowledge and skill and aptitude”. expect is the more common of the two in everyday English.
/ɪkˈspɛkt/
1.v.regard something as probable or likely
“The meteorologists are expecting rain for tomorrow”
2.v.consider obligatory; request and expect
“We require our secretary to be on time”
3.v.look forward to the probable occurrence of
“We were expecting a visit from our relatives”
/ˈɛkspɚt/
1.adj.having or showing knowledge and skill and aptitude
“adept in handicrafts”
2.adj.of or relating to or requiring special knowledge to be understood
“technical terminology”
3.n.a person with special knowledge or ability who performs skillfully
| expect | expert | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /ɪkˈspɛkt/ | /ˈɛkspɚt/ |
| Said | ik-SPEKT | EK-spurt |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Letters | 6 | 6 |
| Parts of speech | verb | adjective, noun |
| Senses | 6 | 3 |
| How common | Core | Common |
| Synonyms | anticipate | adept, good, practiced |
Full entry for expect · Full entry for expert · More comparisons