Which to use
“caters” and “cats” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #25,701
- “caters” frequency rank
- #3,215
- “cats” frequency rank
- 28916
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | caters | cats |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | bell changes rung on nine bells | plural of cat |
Letter map: caters vs cats
Shared letters muted; letters that set caters and cats apart highlighted. Shared run: 4.
Spelling & dictionary notes on caters vs cats
caters and cats are indexed as a confusable English pair. We have no recorded pronunciation or part of speech for both members, so the spelling overlap is what we can show you: they differ by 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 28916, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
caters is recorded at frequency rank #25,701, classified as anoun. cats is at rank #3,215, tagged as anoun, pronounced /kæts/.
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 28916, this pair ranks #367,246 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of caters vs cats
Shared letters: acst. Private to "caters": er. Private to "cats": -.
"caters" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCC · "cats" · 4 letters · shape CVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "caters" for "cats" ever safe?
Frequency check: "caters" vs "cats" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Done with this confusable. These links stay specific to "caters" and "cats".
- Full dictionary entry for "caters" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "cats" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #367,246 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "caters" and "cats" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "caters vs cates". 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 #367,246 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.