Which to use
“arrays” and “arrows” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #19,759
- “arrays” frequency rank
- #9,564
- “arrows” frequency rank
- 29323
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | arrays | arrows |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | plural of array | plural of arrow |
Where the eye mixes arrays and arrows
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between arrays and arrows
A purely visual mix-up. arrays (/əˈɹeɪz/) and arrows (/ˈæɹ.əʊz/) 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 29323, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
arrays is recorded at frequency rank #19,759, classified as anoun, pronounced /əˈɹeɪz/. arrows is at rank #9,564, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈæɹ.əʊz/.
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 29323, this pair ranks #363,939 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of arrays vs arrows
Shared letters: ars. Private to "arrays": y. Private to "arrows": ow.
"arrays" · 6 letters · shape VCCVVC · "arrows" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "arrays" and "arrows" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary English text, does "arrays" or "arrows" show up more?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "arrays" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "arrows" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #363,939 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "arrays" and "arrows" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "arras vs arrays". 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 #363,939 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.