algovsallWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: algo is a noun, all is a determiner, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“algo” is a noun and “all” is a determiner - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#49,758
“algo” frequency rank
#32
“all” frequency rank
49790
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature algo all
Definition Clipping of algorithm. Every individual or anything of the given class, with no exceptions (the noun or noun phrase denoting the class must be plural or uncountable).

Where the eye mixes algo and all

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.

4 ch
algo
3 ch
all

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: algo is /ˈæl.ɡoʊ̯/ while all is /ɔːl/. 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 determiner), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 49790, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

algo is recorded at frequency rank #49,758, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈæl.ɡoʊ̯/. all is at rank #32, tagged as adet, pronounced /ɔːl/.

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 49790, this pair ranks #180,256 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of algo vs all

Shared letters: al. Private to "algo": go. Private to "all": -.

"algo" · 4 letters · shape VCCV  ·  "all" · 3 letters · shape VCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • algoaglo · alggo · allgo · alog · lago

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "algo" and "all" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "algo" is a noun and "all" a determiner, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "algo" or "all"?
"all" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #32 in our English list, against #49,758 for "algo". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

What to do next

You've compared "algo" and "all". Here's where to go from here.

  • Full dictionary entry for "algo" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "all" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #180,256 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "algo" and "all" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "alc vs algo". 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

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list