Which to use
“alas” is an intj and “ara” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #11,647
- “alas” frequency rank
- #21,997
- “ara” frequency rank
- 33644
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | alas | ara |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Used to express sorrow, regret, compassion, grief, resignation, or disappointment. | The great blue and yellow macaw (Ara ararauna). |
Where the eye mixes alas and ara
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses alas with ara
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: alas is /əˈlæs/ while ara is /ˈeɪ.ɹə/. 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 (intj vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 33644, 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/. ara is at rank #21,997, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈeɪ.ɹə/.
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 33644, this pair ranks #327,641 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of alas vs ara
Shared letters: a. Private to "alas": ls. Private to "ara": r.
"alas" · 4 letters · shape VCVC · "ara" · 3 letters · shape VCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- alas ← aals · alass · allas · alsa · laas
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "alas" and "ara" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "alas" vs "ara" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "alas" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "ara" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #327,641 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "alas" and "ara" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ara vs Asta". 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 #327,641 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.