Which to use
“clams” and “class” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #24,408
- “clams” frequency rank
- #430
- “class” frequency rank
- 24838
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | clams | class |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | plural of clam | A group, collection, category or set sharing characteristics or attributes. |
Where the eye mixes clams and class
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses clams with class
A purely visual mix-up. clams (/klæmz/) and class (/klɑːs/) 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 a single letter - m in “clams” becomes s in “class”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 24838, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
clams is recorded at frequency rank #24,408, classified as anoun, pronounced /klæmz/. class is at rank #430, tagged as anoun, pronounced /klɑːs/.
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 24838, this pair ranks #398,944 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of clams vs class
Shared letters: acls. Private to "clams": m. Private to "class": -.
"clams" · 5 letters · shape CCVCC · "class" · 5 letters · shape CCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "clams" for "class" ever safe?
Frequency check: "clams" vs "class" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "clams" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "class" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #398,944 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "clams" and "class" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "clams vs coms". 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 #398,944 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.