Which to use
“this” is a pronoun and “those” is an unknown - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #2,559
- “this” frequency rank
- #27,517
- “those” frequency rank
- 30076
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | this | those |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | in der Nähe | Plural des Demonstrativpronomens that |
Where the eye mixes this and those
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between this and those
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: this is [ðɪs] while those is [ðəʊz]. 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 (pronoun vs unknown), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 30076, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
this is recorded at frequency rank #2,559, classified as apron, pronounced [ðɪs]. those is at rank #27,517, tagged as anunknown, pronounced [ðəʊz].
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 30076, this pair ranks #1,754,876 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of this vs those
Shared letters: hst. Private to "this": i. Private to "those": eo.
"this" · 4 letters · shape CCVC · "those" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "this" and "those" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "this" or "those"?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "this" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "those" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,754,876 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "this" and "those" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "those vs TSE". 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 #1,754,876 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.