Which to use
“counts” and “cults” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #4,436
- “counts” frequency rank
- #23,798
- “cults” frequency rank
- 28234
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | counts | cults |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | plural of count | plural of cult |
Where the eye mixes counts and cults
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. counts runs 6 letters (CVVCCC) against cults's 5 (CVCCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses counts with cults
A purely visual mix-up. counts (/kaʊnts/) and cults (/kʌlts/) 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 28234, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
counts is recorded at frequency rank #4,436, classified as anoun, pronounced /kaʊnts/. cults is at rank #23,798, tagged as anoun, pronounced /kʌlts/.
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 28234, this pair ranks #372,653 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of counts vs cults
Shared letters: cstu. Private to "counts": no. Private to "cults": l.
"counts" · 6 letters · shape CVVCCC · "cults" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "counts" and "cults" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary English text, does "counts" or "cults" show up more?
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 "counts" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "cults" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #372,653 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "counts" and "cults" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Coutts vs cults". 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 #372,653 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.