Which to use
“cordon” and “cords” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #24,126
- “cordon” frequency rank
- #18,281
- “cords” frequency rank
- 42407
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | cordon | cords |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A ribbon normally worn diagonally across the chest as a decoration or insignia of rank etc. | plural of cord |
Where the eye mixes cordon and cords
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: cordon vs cords
A purely visual mix-up. cordon (/ˈkɔː(ɹ)dən/) and cords (/kɔːdz/) 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 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 42407, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
cordon is recorded at frequency rank #24,126, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈkɔː(ɹ)dən/. cords is at rank #18,281, tagged as anoun, pronounced /kɔːdz/.
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 42407, this pair ranks #249,506 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of cordon vs cords
Shared letters: cdor. Private to "cordon": n. Private to "cords": s.
"cordon" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "cords" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "cordon" for "cords" ever safe?
Frequency check: "cordon" vs "cords" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "cordon" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "cords" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #249,506 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "cordon" and "cords" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Colson vs cordon". 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 #249,506 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.