Which to use
“Dalek” and “dales” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #35,675
- “Dalek” frequency rank
- #36,098
- “dales” frequency rank
- 71773
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Dalek | dales |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A member of a species of extraterrestrial cyborg mutants who appear in the television programme Doctor Who and are known for travelling in metallic shells, having monotone, mechanically distorted voices, repeating a limited number of phrases, and their fanatical obsession with exterminating other, non-Dalek beings. | plural of dale |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Dalek and dales apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. Dalek (/ˈdɑːlɛk/) and dales (/deɪlz/) 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 a single letter - k in “Dalek” becomes s in “dales”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 71773, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Dalek is recorded at frequency rank #35,675, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈdɑːlɛk/. dales is at rank #36,098, tagged as anoun, pronounced /deɪlz/.
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 71773, this pair ranks #45,455 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of Dalek vs dales
Shared letters: adel. Private to "Dalek": k. Private to "dales": s.
"Dalek" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "dales" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Dalek" and "dales" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "Dalek" or "dales"?
Remembering Dalek vs dales
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “Dalek” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable