terminalvsTerminalsWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: terminal is a adjective, Terminals is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“terminal” is an adjective and “Terminals” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#10,953
“terminal” frequency rank
#27,086
“Terminals” frequency rank
38039
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature terminal Terminals
Definition am Ende gelegen Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Terminal

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set terminal and Terminals apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
terminal
9 ch
Terminals

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

terminal and Terminals form a confusable pair in the German index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “terminal” sits inside “Terminals” - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 38039, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

terminal is recorded at frequency rank #10,953, classified as anadj. Terminals is at rank #27,086, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈtœːɐ̯minl̩s].

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 38039, this pair ranks #1,574,434 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Frequency comparison

terminal#10,953
Terminals#27,086

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "terminal" and "Terminals" be used interchangeably?
No, "terminal" and "Terminals" have distinct meanings and cannot be swapped without changing the meaning of a sentence. Understanding the specific definition and context for each word is essential for correct usage.

Remembering terminal vs Terminals

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “terminal”; for a noun, it's “Terminals”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “terminal” 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