Which to use
“contribution” and “contributions” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #4,009
- “contribution” frequency rank
- #4,010
- “contributions” frequency rank
- 8019
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | contribution | contributions |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Something given or offered that adds to a larger whole. | plural of contribution |
Where the eye mixes contribution and contributions
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 12 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between contribution and contributions
A purely visual mix-up. contribution (/ˌkɒntɹɪˈbjuːʃən/) and contributions (/ˌkɑntɹɪˈbjuʃənz/) 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) - “contribution” sits inside “contributions”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 8019, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
contribution is recorded at frequency rank #4,009, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˌkɒntɹɪˈbjuːʃən/. contributions is at rank #4,010, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˌkɑntɹɪˈbjuʃənz/.
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 8019, this pair ranks #504,481 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of contribution vs contributions
Shared letters: bcinortu. Private to "contribution": -. Private to "contributions": s.
"contribution" · 12 letters · shape CVCCCVCVCVVC · "contributions" · 13 letters · shape CVCCCVCVCVVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- contribution ← ccontribution · cnotribution · conntribution · conrtibution · contirbution · contrbiution · contribbution · contribtuion
- contributions ← ccontributions · cnotributions · conntributions · conrtibutions · contirbutions · contrbiutions · contribbutions · contribtuions
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "contribution" and "contributions" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "contribution" or "contributions"?
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 "contribution" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "contributions" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #504,481 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "contribution" and "contributions" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "contribution vs contrition". 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 #504,481 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.