Which to use
“ake” is a verb and “ape” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #46,292
- “ake” frequency rank
- #15,334
- “ape” frequency rank
- 61626
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ake | ape |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Obsolete spelling of ache. | A primate of the superfamily Hominoidea, generally larger than monkeys and distinguished from them by having no tail. |
Where the eye mixes ake and ape
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between ake and ape
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: ake is /eɪk/ while ape is /eɪp/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - k in “ake” becomes p in “ape”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 61626, 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/. ape is at rank #15,334, tagged as anoun, pronounced /eɪp/.
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 61626, this pair ranks #93,150 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of ake vs ape
Shared letters: ae. Private to "ake": k. Private to "ape": p.
"ake" · 3 letters · shape VCV · "ape" · 3 letters · shape VCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "ake" and "ape" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "ake" or "ape"?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "ake" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "ape" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #93,150 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ake" and "ape" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ake vs amb". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #93,150 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.