Which to use
“blocks” and “bollocks” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #3,410
- “blocks” frequency rank
- #25,683
- “bollocks” frequency rank
- 29093
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | blocks | bollocks |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | plural of block | The testicles. |
Where the eye mixes blocks and bollocks
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses blocks with bollocks
A purely visual mix-up. blocks (/blɑks/) and bollocks (/ˈbɒ.ləks/) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 29093, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
blocks is recorded at frequency rank #3,410, classified as anoun, pronounced /blɑks/. bollocks is at rank #25,683, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈbɒ.ləks/.
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 29093, this pair ranks #365,873 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of blocks vs bollocks
Shared letters: bcklos. Private to "blocks": -. Private to "bollocks": -.
"blocks" · 6 letters · shape CCVCCC · "bollocks" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "blocks" for "bollocks" ever safe?
Frequency check: "blocks" vs "bollocks" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "blocks" and "bollocks" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "blocks" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "bollocks" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #365,873 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "blocks" and "bollocks" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "blocks vs blocs". 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 #365,873 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.