Which to use
“asked” and “asks” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #499
- “asked” frequency rank
- #3,348
- “asks” frequency rank
- 3847
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | asked | asks |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | simple past and past participle of ask | third-person singular simple present indicative of ask |
Where the eye mixes asked and asks
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. asked runs 5 letters (VCCVC) against asks's 4 (VCCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses asked with asks
A purely visual mix-up. asked (/ˈɑːskt/) and asks (/ɑːsks/) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 3847, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
asked is recorded at frequency rank #499, classified as averb, pronounced /ˈɑːskt/. asks is at rank #3,348, tagged as averb, pronounced /ɑːsks/.
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 3847, this pair ranks #520,810 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of asked vs asks
Shared letters: aks. Private to "asked": de. Private to "asks": -.
"asked" · 5 letters · shape VCCVC · "asks" · 4 letters · shape VCCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "asked" for "asks" ever safe?
Frequency check: "asked" vs "asks" - 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 "asked" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "asks" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #520,810 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "asked" and "asks" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "asks vs Asta". 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 #520,810 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.