# gene vs gens

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### gene
*noun · IPA /d͡ʒiːn/ · frequency rank #3,883*
A theoretical unit of heredity of living organisms which may take several values and (in principle) predetermines a precise trait of an organism's form (phenotype), such as hair color.

### gens
*noun · IPA /d͡ʒɛnz/ · frequency rank #33,659*
A legally defined unit of Roman society, being a collection of people related through a common ancestor by birth, marriage or adoption, possibly over many generations, and sharing the same nomen gentilicium.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/vs/gene-vs-gens