Which to use
“dates” and “dykes” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,783
- “dates” frequency rank
- #33,216
- “dykes” frequency rank
- 35999
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | dates | dykes |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | plural of date | plural of dyke |
Where the eye mixes dates and dykes
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses dates with dykes
A purely visual mix-up. dates (/deɪts/) and dykes (/daɪks/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 35999, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
dates is recorded at frequency rank #2,783, classified as anoun, pronounced /deɪts/. dykes is at rank #33,216, tagged as anoun, pronounced /daɪks/.
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 35999, this pair ranks #307,084 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of dates vs dykes
Shared letters: des. Private to "dates": at. Private to "dykes": ky.
"dates" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "dykes" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "dates" for "dykes" ever safe?
Frequency check: "dates" vs "dykes" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "dates" and "dykes" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "dates" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "dykes" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #307,084 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "dates" and "dykes" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "dikes vs dykes". 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 #307,084 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.