Which to use
“dicks” and “dikes” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #12,401
- “dicks” frequency rank
- #49,870
- “dikes” frequency rank
- 62271
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | dicks | dikes |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | plural of dick | plural of dike |
Letter map: dicks vs dikes
Shared letters muted; letters that set dicks and dikes apart highlighted. Shared run: 4.
Spelling & dictionary notes on dicks vs dikes
dicks and dikes are indexed as a confusable English pair. We have no recorded pronunciation or part of speech for both members, so the spelling overlap is what we can show you: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 62271, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
dicks is recorded at frequency rank #12,401, classified as anoun, pronounced /dɪks/. 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 62271, this pair ranks #89,449 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of dicks vs dikes
Shared letters: diks. Private to "dicks": c. Private to "dikes": e.
"dicks" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC · "dikes" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "dicks" and "dikes" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary English text, does "dicks" or "dikes" show up more?
What to do next
Done with this confusable. These links stay specific to "dicks" and "dikes".
- Full dictionary entry for "dicks" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "dikes" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #89,449 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "dicks" and "dikes" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "dikes vs dimer". 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 #89,449 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.