Which to use
“ake” is a verb and “alm” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #46,292
- “ake” frequency rank
- #43,024
- “alm” frequency rank
- 89316
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ake | alm |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Obsolete spelling of ache. | Something given to the poor as charity: a singular gift of alms. |
Where the eye mixes ake and alm
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence. ake (VCV) and alm (VCC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses ake with alm
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: ake is /eɪk/ while alm is /ɑːm/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 89316, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ake is recorded at frequency rank #46,292, classified as averb, pronounced /eɪk/. alm is at rank #43,024, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ɑːm/.
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 89316, this pair ranks #5,324 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of ake vs alm
Shared letters: a. Private to "ake": ek. Private to "alm": lm.
"ake" · 3 letters · shape VCV · "alm" · 3 letters · shape VCC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "ake" and "alm" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "ake" or "alm"?
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 "ake" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "alm" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #5,324 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ake" and "alm" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ake vs amb". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #5,324 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.