Which to use
“cons” and “core” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #10,183
- “cons” frequency rank
- #1,892
- “core” frequency rank
- 12075
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | cons | core |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A data structure in Lisp that is a pair of pointers, car and cdr, used mainly for lists. | In general usage, an essential part of a thing surrounded by other essential things. |
Where the eye mixes cons and core
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between cons and core
A purely visual mix-up. cons (/ˈkɑnz/) and core (/kɔː/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 12075, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
cons is recorded at frequency rank #10,183, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈkɑnz/. core is at rank #1,892, tagged as anoun, pronounced /kɔː/.
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 12075, this pair ranks #483,580 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of cons vs core
Shared letters: co. Private to "cons": ns. Private to "core": er.
"cons" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "core" · 4 letters · shape CVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "cons" for "core" ever safe?
In ordinary English text, does "cons" or "core" show up more?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "cons" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "core" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #483,580 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "cons" and "core" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "cons vs cuny". 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 #483,580 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.