tapevstapesWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#19,052
“tape” frequency rank
#41,496
“tapes” frequency rank
60548
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature tape tapes
Definition 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs tapen 2. Person Singular Präsens Konjunktiv des Verbs tapar

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set tape and tapes apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
tape
5 ch
tapes

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

tape and tapes are indexed as a confusable German pair. We have no recorded pronunciation or part of speech for both members, so the spelling overlap is what we can show you: they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “tape” sits inside “tapes”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 60548, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

tape is recorded at frequency rank #19,052, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈtɛɪ̯pə]. tapes is at rank #41,496, tagged as averb, pronounced […].

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 60548, this pair ranks #782,887 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of tape vs tapes

Shared letters: aept. Private to "tape": -. Private to "tapes": s.

"tape" · 4 letters · shape CVCV  ·  "tapes" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • tapeatpe · taep · tappe · tpae · ttape
  • tapesatpes · taeps · tapess · tappes · tapse · tpaes · ttapes

Frequency comparison

tape#19,052
tapes#41,496

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "tape" and "tapes" be used interchangeably?
No. They differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “tape” sits inside “tapes”, but the dictionary glosses above give them different meanings, so swapping one for the other changes what the sentence says.
Which is more common, "tape" or "tapes"?
"tape" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #19,052 in our German list, against #41,496 for "tapes". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering tape vs tapes

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 “tape” 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