Which to use
“Dates” is a noun and “does” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #13,798
- “Dates” frequency rank
- #24,299
- “does” frequency rank
- 38097
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Dates | does |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Date | 3. Person Indikativ Singular Präsens Aktiv des Verbs do |
Where the eye mixes Dates and does
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between Dates and does
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Dates is [deɪt͡s] while does is [dʌz]. 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 verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 38097, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Dates is recorded at frequency rank #13,798, classified as anoun, pronounced [deɪt͡s]. does is at rank #24,299, tagged as averb, pronounced [dʌz].
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 38097, this pair ranks #1,572,869 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Dates vs does
Shared letters: des. Private to "Dates": at. Private to "does": o.
"Dates" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "does" · 4 letters · shape CVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Dates" and "does" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "Dates" vs "does" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "Dates" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "does" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,572,869 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Dates" and "does" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Docks vs does". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #1,572,869 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.