Amazement has in it something of confusion or bewilderment; but confusion and bewilderment may occur without amazement, as when a multitude of details require instant attention. Astonishment may be without bewilderment or confusion.

J. C. Fernald, English Synonyms and Antonyms (1914)

Example sentences

mess If you mess with drugs, you're asking for trouble.
disarray Unexpected expenses always throw her budget into disarray.
bewilderment Boldi looked in Martha's direction in bewilderment.
perplexity He laughed heartily at my perplexity.
fog The flight was cancelled because of the thick fog.
misunderstanding I think there has been some misunderstanding here.

Popularity over time

Word	1850 → 2019	Trend
confusion		steady
mess		rising
disarray		rising
bewilderment		rising
perplexity		rising
fog		rising

Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.

By length

3 letters: fog¹
4 letters: mess¹, ruin², haze¹
5 letters: chaos², blush¹, babel²
6 letters: mayhem², uproar², huddle², muddle², jumble², tumult²
7 letters: turmoil², anarchy³, misrule², fluster²
8 letters: disorder³, disarray³
9 letters: commotion³
10 letters: revolution⁴, perplexity⁴, bafflement
11 letters: destruction³, distraction³, disturbance³, pandemonium⁵
12 letters: bewilderment⁴, discomfiture, befuddlement
13 letters: embarrassment⁴
15 letters: disorganization⁶, disorganisation

The small number after each word is its number of syllables (ruin² = 2 syllables).

In other languages

Français: confusion
Italiano: confusione
Español: confusión
Deutsch: Konfusion
Català: confusió