Which to use
“algo” and “alms” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #49,758
- “algo” frequency rank
- #33,114
- “alms” frequency rank
- 82872
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | algo | alms |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Clipping of algorithm. | Something given to the poor as charity, such as money, clothing or food. |
Where the eye mixes algo and alms
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence. algo (VCCV) and alms (VCCC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Visual trap between algo and alms
A purely visual mix-up. algo (/ˈæl.ɡoʊ̯/) and alms (/ɑːmz/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 82872, 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/. alms is at rank #33,114, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ɑːmz/.
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 82872, this pair ranks #14,919 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of algo vs alms
Shared letters: al. Private to "algo": go. Private to "alms": ms.
"algo" · 4 letters · shape VCCV · "alms" · 4 letters · shape VCCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "algo" for "alms" ever safe?
Which is more common, "algo" or "alms"?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "algo" and "alms" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "algo" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "alms" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #14,919 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "algo" and "alms" 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
Confusion rank #14,919 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.