Which to use
“dock” and “dogs” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #7,218
- “dock” frequency rank
- #1,754
- “dogs” frequency rank
- 8972
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | dock | dogs |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Any of the genus Rumex of coarse weedy plants with small green flowers related to buckwheat, especially bitter dock (Rumex obtusifolius), and used as potherbs and in folk medicine, especially in curing nettle rash. | plural of dog |
Where the eye mixes dock and dogs
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. dock (/dɒk/) and dogs (/dɒɡz/) 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 8972, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
dock is recorded at frequency rank #7,218, classified as anoun, pronounced /dɒk/. dogs is at rank #1,754, tagged as anoun, pronounced /dɒɡz/.
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 8972, this pair ranks #499,753 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of dock vs dogs
Shared letters: do. Private to "dock": ck. Private to "dogs": gs.
"dock" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "dogs" · 4 letters · shape CVCC