bests vs buss, What's the Difference?

Which to use

“bests” is an intj and “buss” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#47,490
“bests” frequency rank: #35,640
“buss” frequency rank: 83130
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	bests	buss
Definition	A polite, formulaic end to a letter or email.	A kiss.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set bests and buss apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch

bests

4 ch

buss

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: bests is /bɛsts/ while buss is /bʌs/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (intj vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 83130, 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/. buss is at rank #35,640, tagged as anoun, pronounced /bʌs/.

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 83130, this pair ranks #14,405 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of bests vs buss

Shared letters: bs. Private to "bests": et. Private to "buss": u.

"bests" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC · "buss" · 4 letters · shape CVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

bests ← bbests · bessts · bestss · bestts · bsets · ebsts
buss ← bbuss · bsus · ubss

Frequency comparison

bests#47,490

buss#35,640

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "bests" and "buss" be used interchangeably?

No - they are not even the same part of speech. "bests" is an intj and "buss" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.

Which is more common, "bests" or "buss"?

"buss" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #35,640 in our English list, against #47,490 for "bests". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering bests vs buss

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 “buss”.
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