Which to use
“arras” and “array” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #49,764
- “arras” frequency rank
- #6,023
- “array” frequency rank
- 55787
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | arras | array |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A tapestry or wall hanging. | Clothing and ornamentation; raiment. |
Where the eye mixes arras and array
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses arras with array
A purely visual mix-up. arras (/ˈæɹəs/) and array (/əˈɹeɪ/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by a single letter - s in “arras” becomes y in “array”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 55787, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
arras is recorded at frequency rank #49,764, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈæɹəs/. array is at rank #6,023, tagged as anoun, pronounced /əˈɹeɪ/.
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 55787, this pair ranks #130,950 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of arras vs array
Shared letters: ar. Private to "arras": s. Private to "array": y.
"arras" · 5 letters · shape VCCVC · "array" · 5 letters · shape VCCVV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "arras" for "array" ever safe?
In ordinary English text, does "arras" or "array" show up more?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "arras" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "array" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #130,950 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "arras" and "array" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Akram vs arras". 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 #130,950 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.