Which to use
“classmate” and “classmates” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #18,519
- “classmate” frequency rank
- #12,205
- “classmates” frequency rank
- 30724
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | classmate | classmates |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A student who is in the same class at school. | plural of classmate |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set classmate and classmates apart are highlighted. They share 9 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. classmate (/ˈklɑːs.meɪt/) and classmates (/ˈklɑːs.meɪts/) 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 extra letter(s) - “classmate” sits inside “classmates”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 30724, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
classmate is recorded at frequency rank #18,519, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈklɑːs.meɪt/. classmates is at rank #12,205, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈklɑːs.meɪts/.
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 30724, this pair ranks #352,113 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of classmate vs classmates
Shared letters: acelmst. Private to "classmate": -. Private to "classmates": -.
"classmate" · 9 letters · shape CCVCCCVCV · "classmates" · 10 letters · shape CCVCCCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- classmate ← calssmate · cclassmate · clasmate · clasmsate · classamte · classmaet · classmatte · classmmate
- classmates ← calssmates · cclassmates · clasmates · clasmsates · classamtes · classmaets · classmatess · classmatse