Which to use
“bests” is an intj and “brats” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #47,490
- “bests” frequency rank
- #32,301
- “brats” frequency rank
- 79791
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | bests | brats |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A polite, formulaic end to a letter or email. | plural of brat |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set bests and brats apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: bests is /bɛsts/ while brats is /bɹæts/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (intj vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 79791, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
bests is recorded at frequency rank #47,490, classified as anintj, pronounced /bɛsts/. brats is at rank #32,301, tagged as anoun, pronounced /bɹæts/.
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 79791, this pair ranks #21,281 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of bests vs brats
Shared letters: bst. Private to "bests": e. Private to "brats": ar.
"bests" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC · "brats" · 5 letters · shape CCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "bests" and "brats" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "bests" or "brats"?
Remembering bests vs brats
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an intj, it's “bests”; for a noun, it's “brats”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “bests” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable