Which to use
“diagnoses” and “diagnosis” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #21,183
- “diagnoses” frequency rank
- #5,121
- “diagnosis” frequency rank
- 26304
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | diagnoses | diagnosis |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | plural of diagnosis | The process of, or an instance of, identification of the nature and cause of a medical condition or illness. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set diagnoses and diagnosis apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. diagnoses (/daɪəɡˈnəʊsiz/) and diagnosis (/daɪəɡˈnəʊsɪs/) 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 - e in “diagnoses” becomes i in “diagnosis”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 26304, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
diagnoses is recorded at frequency rank #21,183, classified as anoun, pronounced /daɪəɡˈnəʊsiz/. diagnosis is at rank #5,121, tagged as anoun, pronounced /daɪəɡˈnəʊsɪs/.
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 26304, this pair ranks #387,692 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of diagnoses vs diagnosis
Shared letters: adginos. Private to "diagnoses": e. Private to "diagnosis": -.
"diagnoses" · 9 letters · shape CVVCCVCVC · "diagnosis" · 9 letters · shape CVVCCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "diagnoses" and "diagnosis" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "diagnoses" or "diagnosis"?
Remembering diagnoses vs diagnosis
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 “diagnoses” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable