Which to use
“are” is a verb and “ark” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #19
- “are” frequency rank
- #10,324
- “ark” frequency rank
- 10343
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | are | ark |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | second-person singular simple present of be | A large box with a flat lid. |
Where the eye mixes are and ark
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between are and ark
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: are is /ə(ɹ)/ while ark is /ɑːk/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - e in “are” becomes k in “ark”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 10343, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
are is recorded at frequency rank #19, classified as averb, pronounced /ə(ɹ)/. ark is at rank #10,324, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ɑːk/.
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 10343, this pair ranks #492,813 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of are vs ark
Shared letters: ar. Private to "are": e. Private to "ark": k.
"are" · 3 letters · shape VCV · "ark" · 3 letters · shape VCC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "are" for "ark" ever safe?
Frequency check: "are" vs "ark" - 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 "are" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "ark" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #492,813 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "are" and "ark" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "amb vs ark". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #492,813 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.