Which to use
“cross” and “crowds” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,073
- “cross” frequency rank
- #8,653
- “crowds” frequency rank
- 9726
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | cross | crowds |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A geometrical figure consisting of two straight lines or bars intersecting each other such that at least one of them is bisected by the other. | plural of crowd |
Where the eye mixes cross and crowds
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between cross and crowds
A purely visual mix-up. cross (/kɹɒs/) and crowds (/kɹaʊdz/) 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 9726, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
cross is recorded at frequency rank #1,073, classified as anoun, pronounced /kɹɒs/. crowds is at rank #8,653, tagged as anoun, pronounced /kɹaʊdz/.
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 9726, this pair ranks #495,919 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of cross vs crowds
Shared letters: cors. Private to "cross": -. Private to "crowds": dw.
"cross" · 5 letters · shape CCVCC · "crowds" · 6 letters · shape CCVCCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "cross" for "crowds" ever safe?
Frequency check: "cross" vs "crowds" - 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 "cross" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "crowds" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #495,919 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "cross" and "crowds" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "creeds vs crowds". 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 #495,919 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.