dicedvsdikesWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: diced is a verb, dikes is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“diced” is a verb and “dikes” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#27,432
“diced” frequency rank
#49,870
“dikes” frequency rank
77302
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature diced dikes
Definition simple past and past participle of dice plural of dike

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set diced and dikes apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
diced
5 ch
dikes

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: diced is averb and dikesanoun. On the page they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 77302, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

diced is recorded at frequency rank #27,432, classified as averb, pronounced /daɪst/. dikes is at rank #49,870, tagged as anoun.

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 77302, this pair ranks #27,667 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of diced vs dikes

Shared letters: dei. Private to "diced": c. Private to "dikes": ks.

"diced" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "dikes" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • diceddcied · ddiced · dicced · dicde · dicedd · diecd · idced
  • dikesddikes · dieks · dikess · dikkes · dikse · dkies · idkes

Frequency comparison

diced#27,432
dikes#49,870

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "diced" and "dikes" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "diced" is a verb and "dikes" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "diced" or "dikes"?
"diced" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #27,432 in our English list, against #49,870 for "dikes". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering diced vs dikes

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “diced”; for a noun, it's “dikes”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “diced” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list