codevscomesWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: code is a noun, comes is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“code” is a noun and “comes” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#863
“code” frequency rank
#432
“comes” frequency rank
1295
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature code comes
Definition A short textual designation, often with little relation to the item it represents. third-person singular simple present indicative of come

Where the eye mixes code and comes

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.

4 ch
code
5 ch
comes

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: code is /kəʊd/ while comes is /kʌmz/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 1295, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

code is recorded at frequency rank #863, classified as anoun, pronounced /kəʊd/. comes is at rank #432, tagged as averb, pronounced /kʌmz/.

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 1295, this pair ranks #527,706 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of code vs comes

Shared letters: ceo. Private to "code": d. Private to "comes": ms.

"code" · 4 letters · shape CVCV  ·  "comes" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • codeccode · cdoe · codde · ocde
  • comesccomes · cmoes · coems · comess · commes · comse · ocmes

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "code" and "comes" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "code" is a noun and "comes" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "code" or "comes"?
"comes" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #432 in our English list, against #863 for "code". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list