Which to use
“dames” and “dashes” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #29,988
- “dames” frequency rank
- #34,005
- “dashes” frequency rank
- 63993
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | dames | dashes |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | plural of dame | plural of dash |
Where the eye mixes dames and dashes
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: dames vs dashes
A purely visual mix-up. dames (/deɪmz/) and dashes (/ˈdæʃɪz/) 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 63993, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
dames is recorded at frequency rank #29,988, classified as anoun, pronounced /deɪmz/. dashes is at rank #34,005, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈdæʃɪz/.
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 63993, this pair ranks #80,023 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of dames vs dashes
Shared letters: ades. Private to "dames": m. Private to "dashes": h.
"dames" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "dashes" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "dames" and "dashes" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary English text, does "dames" or "dashes" 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 "dames" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "dashes" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #80,023 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "dames" and "dashes" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "dashes vs dished". 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 #80,023 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.