dockvsdomWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“dock” and “dom” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#7,218
“dock” frequency rank
#9,877
“dom” frequency rank
17095
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature dock dom
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. A dominant in sadomasochistic sexual practices.

Where the eye mixes dock and dom

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.

4 ch
dock
3 ch
dom

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. dock (/dɒk/) and dom (/dɒm/) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 17095, 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/. dom is at rank #9,877, tagged as anoun, pronounced /dɒm/.

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 17095, this pair ranks #453,664 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of dock vs dom

Shared letters: do. Private to "dock": ck. Private to "dom": m.

"dock" · 4 letters · shape CVCC  ·  "dom" · 3 letters · shape CVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • dockdcok · ddock · docck · dockk · dokc · odck

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "dock" and "dom" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (/dɒk/ versus /dɒm/) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "dock" or "dom"?
"dock" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #7,218 in our English list, against #9,877 for "dom". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list