Which to use
“continues” and “convinces” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,688
- “continues” frequency rank
- #29,613
- “convinces” frequency rank
- 31301
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | continues | convinces |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | third-person singular simple present indicative of continue | third-person singular simple present indicative of convince |
Where the eye mixes continues and convinces
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. continues (CVCCVCVVC) and convinces (CVCCVCCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses continues with convinces
A purely visual mix-up. continues (/kənˈtɪn.juːz/) and convinces (/kənˈvɪnsɪz/) 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 31301, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
continues is recorded at frequency rank #1,688, classified as averb, pronounced /kənˈtɪn.juːz/. convinces is at rank #29,613, tagged as averb, pronounced /kənˈvɪnsɪz/.
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 31301, this pair ranks #347,255 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of continues vs convinces
Shared letters: ceinos. Private to "continues": tu. Private to "convinces": v.
"continues" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCVVC · "convinces" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "continues" and "convinces" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "continues" or "convinces"?
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 "continues" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "convinces" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #347,255 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "continues" and "convinces" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "confines vs convinces". 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 #347,255 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.