Which to use
“alarm” is a noun and “alas” is an intj - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #4,426
- “alarm” frequency rank
- #11,647
- “alas” frequency rank
- 16073
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | alarm | alas |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A summons to arms, as on the approach of an enemy. | Used to express sorrow, regret, compassion, grief, resignation, or disappointment. |
Where the eye mixes alarm and alas
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses alarm with alas
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: alarm is /əˈlɑːm/ while alas is /əˈlæs/. 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 (noun vs intj), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 16073, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
alarm is recorded at frequency rank #4,426, classified as anoun, pronounced /əˈlɑːm/. alas is at rank #11,647, tagged as anintj, pronounced /əˈlæs/.
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 16073, this pair ranks #460,092 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of alarm vs alas
Shared letters: al. Private to "alarm": mr. Private to "alas": s.
"alarm" · 5 letters · shape VCVCC · "alas" · 4 letters · shape VCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "alarm" and "alas" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary English text, does "alarm" or "alas" show up more?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "alarm" and "alas" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "alarm" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "alas" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #460,092 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "alarm" and "alas" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "alas vs arras". 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 #460,092 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.