easesvseraseWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#31,530
“eases” frequency rank
#11,886
“erase” frequency rank
43416
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature eases erase
Definition third-person singular simple present indicative of ease To remove (markings or information).

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set eases and erase apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
eases
5 ch
erase

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. eases (/ˈiːzɪz/) and erase (/ɪˈɹeɪs/) 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 4 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 43416, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

eases is recorded at frequency rank #31,530, classified as averb, pronounced /ˈiːzɪz/. erase is at rank #11,886, tagged as averb, pronounced /ɪˈɹeɪs/.

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 43416, this pair ranks #240,177 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of eases vs erase

Shared letters: aes. Private to "eases": -. Private to "erase": r.

"eases" · 5 letters · shape VVCVC  ·  "erase" · 5 letters · shape VCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • easesaeses · eaess · easess · easses · esaes
  • eraseearse · eraes · erasse · errase · ersae · rease

Frequency comparison

eases#31,530
erase#11,886

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "eases" and "erase" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (/ˈiːzɪz/ versus /ɪˈɹeɪs/) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "eases" or "erase"?
"erase" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #11,886 in our English list, against #31,530 for "eases". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering eases vs erase

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 “eases” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list