Which to use
“coda” and “cords” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #39,740
- “coda” frequency rank
- #18,281
- “cords” frequency rank
- 58021
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | coda | cords |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A passage that brings a movement or piece to a conclusion through prolongation. | plural of cord |
Where the eye mixes coda and cords
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. coda runs 4 letters (CVCV) against cords's 5 (CVCCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses coda with cords
A purely visual mix-up. coda (/ˈkəʊ.də/) and cords (/kɔːdz/) 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 58021, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
coda is recorded at frequency rank #39,740, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈkəʊ.də/. cords is at rank #18,281, tagged as anoun, pronounced /kɔːdz/.
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 58021, this pair ranks #115,380 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of coda vs cords
Shared letters: cdo. Private to "coda": a. Private to "cords": rs.
"coda" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "cords" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "coda" and "cords" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary English text, does "coda" or "cords" show up more?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "coda" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "cords" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #115,380 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "coda" and "cords" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "coda 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 #115,380 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.