Which to use
“bodes” and “boys” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #48,094
- “bodes” frequency rank
- #986
- “boys” frequency rank
- 49080
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | bodes | boys |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | plural of bode | plural of boy |
Where the eye mixes bodes and boys
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. bodes runs 5 letters (CVCVC) against boys's 4 (CVVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: bodes vs boys
A purely visual mix-up. bodes (/bəʊdz/) and boys (/bɔɪz/) 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 49080, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
bodes is recorded at frequency rank #48,094, classified as anoun, pronounced /bəʊdz/. boys is at rank #986, tagged as anoun, pronounced /bɔɪz/.
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 49080, this pair ranks #187,044 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of bodes vs boys
Shared letters: bos. Private to "bodes": de. Private to "boys": y.
"bodes" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "boys" · 4 letters · shape CVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "bodes" and "boys" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "bodes" vs "boys" - 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 "bodes" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "boys" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #187,044 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "bodes" and "boys" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "bodes vs Bodie". 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 #187,044 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.