Which to use
“goes” is a verb and “golds” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #606
- “goes” frequency rank
- #24,460
- “golds” frequency rank
- 25066
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | goes | golds |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | third-person singular simple present indicative of go | plural of gold |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set goes and golds apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: goes is /ɡəʊz/ while golds is /ɡəʊldz/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 25066, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
goes is recorded at frequency rank #606, classified as averb, pronounced /ɡəʊz/. golds is at rank #24,460, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ɡəʊldz/.
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 25066, this pair ranks #397,197 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of goes vs golds
Shared letters: gos. Private to "goes": e. Private to "golds": dl.
"goes" · 4 letters · shape CVVC · "golds" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "goes" and "golds" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "goes" or "golds"?
Remembering goes vs golds
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “goes”; for a noun, it's “golds”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “goes” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable