Which to use
“cob” and “combs” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #27,404
- “cob” frequency rank
- #23,210
- “combs” frequency rank
- 50614
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | cob | combs |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A corncob. | plural of comb |
Where the eye mixes cob and combs
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between cob and combs
A purely visual mix-up. cob (/kɑb/) and combs (/kəʊmz/) 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 50614, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
cob is recorded at frequency rank #27,404, classified as anoun, pronounced /kɑb/. combs is at rank #23,210, tagged as anoun, pronounced /kəʊmz/.
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 50614, this pair ranks #172,682 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of cob vs combs
Shared letters: bco. Private to "cob": -. Private to "combs": ms.
"cob" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "combs" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- combs ← ccombs · cmobs · cobms · combbs · combss · commbs · comsb · ocmbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "cob" for "combs" ever safe?
Frequency check: "cob" vs "combs" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "cob" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "combs" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #172,682 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "cob" and "combs" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "CGT vs cob". 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 #172,682 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.