Which to use
“flakes” and “flasks” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #17,615
- “flakes” frequency rank
- #44,207
- “flasks” frequency rank
- 61822
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | flakes | flasks |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | plural of flake | plural of flask |
Where the eye mixes flakes and flasks
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses flakes with flasks
A purely visual mix-up. flakes (/ˈfleɪks/) and flasks (/flɑːsks/) 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 61822, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
flakes is recorded at frequency rank #17,615, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈfleɪks/. flasks is at rank #44,207, tagged as anoun, pronounced /flɑːsks/.
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 61822, this pair ranks #91,995 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of flakes vs flasks
Shared letters: afkls. Private to "flakes": e. Private to "flasks": -.
"flakes" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC · "flasks" · 6 letters · shape CCVCCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "flakes" and "flasks" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "flakes" vs "flasks" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "flakes" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "flasks" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #91,995 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "flakes" and "flasks" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "flaky vs flasks". 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 #91,995 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.