commissionvscommissionsWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“commission” and “commissions” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#1,299
“commission” frequency rank
#9,303
“commissions” frequency rank
10602
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature commission commissions
Definition A sending or mission (to do or accomplish something). plural of commission

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set commission and commissions apart are highlighted. They share 10 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

10 ch
commission
11 ch
commissions

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

commission and commissions form a confusable pair in the English index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “commission” sits inside “commissions” - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 10602, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

commission is recorded at frequency rank #1,299, classified as anoun, pronounced /kəˈmɪʃən/. commissions is at rank #9,303, tagged as anoun, pronounced /kəˈmɪʃənz/.

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 10602, this pair ranks #491,485 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Frequency comparison

commission#1,299
commissions#9,303

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "commission" and "commissions" be used interchangeably?
No, "commission" and "commissions" have distinct meanings and cannot be swapped without changing the meaning of a sentence. Understanding the specific definition and context for each word is essential for correct usage.

Remembering commission vs commissions

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “commission” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list