Which to use
“alas” is an intj and “alf” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #11,647
- “alas” frequency rank
- #25,273
- “alf” frequency rank
- 36920
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | alas | alf |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Used to express sorrow, regret, compassion, grief, resignation, or disappointment. | A supernatural being similar to an elf; one of the Dǫkkálfar or Ljósalfar. |
Letter map: alas vs alf
Shared letters muted; letters that set alas and alf apart highlighted. Shared run: 2.
Part-of-speech tell for alas / alf
Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: alas is anintj and alfanoun. On the page they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 36920, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
alas is recorded at frequency rank #11,647, classified as anintj, pronounced /əˈlæs/. alf is at rank #25,273, tagged as anoun.
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 36920, this pair ranks #298,955 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of alas vs alf
Shared letters: al. Private to "alas": s. Private to "alf": f.
"alas" · 4 letters · shape VCVC · "alf" · 3 letters · shape VCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- alas ← aals · alass · allas · alsa · laas
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "alas" for "alf" ever safe?
Frequency check: "alas" vs "alf" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Pair "alas" vs "alf" is on the table, pick a follow-up below.
- Full dictionary entry for "alas" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "alf" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #298,955 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "alas" and "alf" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "alf vs amb". 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 #298,955 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.