BimsvsbinsWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“Bims” and “bins” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#49,527
“Bims” frequency rank
#31,472
“bins” frequency rank
80999
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Bims bins
Definition poröses, glasiges Vulkangestein, aus dem häufig Bausteine hergestellt werden Plural des Substantivs bin

Where the spellings diverge

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

4 ch
Bims
4 ch
bins

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Bims ([bɪms]) and bins ([bɪnz]) 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 - m in “Bims” becomes n in “bins”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 80999, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Bims is recorded at frequency rank #49,527, classified as anoun, pronounced [bɪms]. bins is at rank #31,472, tagged as anoun, pronounced [bɪnz].

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 80999, this pair ranks #184,341 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of Bims vs bins

Shared letters: bis. Private to "Bims": m. Private to "bins": n.

"Bims" · 4 letters · shape CVCC  ·  "bins" · 4 letters · shape CVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Bimsbbims · bimms · bimss · bism · bmis · ibms
  • binsbbins · binns · binss · bisn · bnis · ibns

Frequency comparison

Bims#49,527
bins#31,472

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Bims" and "bins" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([bɪms] versus [bɪnz]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Bims" or "bins"?
"bins" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #31,472 in our German list, against #49,527 for "Bims". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Bims vs bins

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 “Bims” 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