factor vs substitute

factor

verb
  • To be a product of other objects. 

  • To sell a debt or debts to an agent (the factor) to collect. 

  • To find all the factors of (a number or other mathematical object) (the objects that divide it evenly). 

noun
  • A person or business organization that provides money for another's new business venture; one who finances another's business. 

  • One of the elements, circumstances, or influences which contribute to produce a result. 

  • Influence; a phenomenon that affects the nature, the magnitude, and/or the timing of a consequence. 

  • A resource used in the production of goods or services, a factor of production. 

  • An agent or representative. 

  • A commission agent. 

  • A business organization that lends money on accounts receivable or buys and collects accounts receivable. 

  • A steward or bailiff of an estate. 

  • Any of various objects multiplied together to form some whole. 

substitute

verb
  • To use in place of something else, with the same function. 

  • To remove (a player) from the field of play and bring on another in his place. 

  • To serve as a replacement (for someone or something). 

  • To use X in place of Y. 

  • To use Y in place of X; to replace X with Y. 

noun
  • A player who is available to replace another if the need arises, and who may or may not actually do so. 

  • A replacement or stand-in for something that achieves a similar result or purpose. 

  • One who enlists for military service in the place of a conscript. 

How often have the words factor and substitute occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )