Which to use
“Holmes” and “Homos” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #12,307
- “Holmes” frequency rank
- #48,231
- “Homos” frequency rank
- 60538
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Holmes | Homos |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Genitiv Singular des Substantivs Holm | Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Homo |
Where the eye mixes Holmes and Homos
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses Holmes with Homos
A purely visual mix-up. Holmes ([ˈhɔlməs]) and Homos ([ˈhoːmos]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 60538, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Holmes is recorded at frequency rank #12,307, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈhɔlməs]. Homos is at rank #48,231, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈhoːmos].
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 60538, this pair ranks #783,276 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Holmes vs Homos
Shared letters: hmos. Private to "Holmes": el. Private to "Homos": -.
"Holmes" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "Homos" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Holmes" for "Homos" ever safe?
Frequency check: "Holmes" vs "Homos" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "Holmes" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Homos" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #783,276 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Holmes" and "Homos" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Homos vs Homs". 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 #783,276 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.