Which to use
“flames” and “flasks” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #6,787
- “flames” frequency rank
- #44,207
- “flasks” frequency rank
- 50994
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | flames | flasks |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | plural of flame | plural of flask |
Where the eye mixes flames and flasks
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: flames vs flasks
A purely visual mix-up. flames (/fleɪmz/) 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 50994, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
flames is recorded at frequency rank #6,787, classified as anoun, pronounced /fleɪmz/. 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 50994, this pair ranks #169,313 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of flames vs flasks
Shared letters: afls. Private to "flames": em. Private to "flasks": k.
"flames" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC · "flasks" · 6 letters · shape CCVCCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "flames" for "flasks" ever safe?
In ordinary English text, does "flames" or "flasks" show up more?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "flames" 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 #169,313 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "flames" 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 #169,313 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.