Which to use
“arras” and “arrow” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #49,764
- “arras” frequency rank
- #5,758
- “arrow” frequency rank
- 55522
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | arras | arrow |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A tapestry or wall hanging. | A projectile consisting of a shaft, a point and a tail with stabilizing fins that is shot from a bow. |
Where the eye mixes arras and arrow
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses arras with arrow
A purely visual mix-up. arras (/ˈæɹəs/) and arrow (/ˈæɹ.əʊ/) 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 55522, 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/. arrow is at rank #5,758, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈæɹ.əʊ/.
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 55522, this pair ranks #133,022 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of arras vs arrow
Shared letters: ar. Private to "arras": s. Private to "arrow": ow.
"arras" · 5 letters · shape VCCVC · "arrow" · 5 letters · shape VCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "arras" for "arrow" ever safe?
Frequency check: "arras" vs "arrow" - 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 "arras" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "arrow" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #133,022 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "arras" and "arrow" 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 #133,022 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.