Which to use
“consequence” and “consequences” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #6,347
- “consequence” frequency rank
- #3,158
- “consequences” frequency rank
- 9505
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | consequence | consequences |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | An effect; something that follows a cause as a result. | plural of consequence |
Where the eye mixes consequence and consequences
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 11 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: consequence vs consequences
A purely visual mix-up. consequence (/ˈkɒn.sɪ.kwɛns/) and consequences (/ˈkɒn.sɪ.kwɛn.sɪz/) 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 extra letter(s) - “consequence” sits inside “consequences”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 9505, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
consequence is recorded at frequency rank #6,347, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈkɒn.sɪ.kwɛns/. consequences is at rank #3,158, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈkɒn.sɪ.kwɛn.sɪz/.
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 9505, this pair ranks #497,068 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of consequence vs consequences
Shared letters: cenoqsu. Private to "consequence": -. Private to "consequences": -.
"consequence" · 11 letters · shape CVCCVCVVCCV · "consequences" · 12 letters · shape CVCCVCVVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- consequence ← cconsequence · cnosequence · conesquence · connsequence · conseqeunce · conseqquence · consequance · consequecne
- consequences ← cconsequences · cnosequences · conesquences · connsequences · conseqeunces · conseqquences · consequecnes · consequencces
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "consequence" for "consequences" ever safe?
Frequency check: "consequence" vs "consequences" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "consequence" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "consequences" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #497,068 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "consequence" and "consequences" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "consequence vs consequent". 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 #497,068 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.