gogovsgolfWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#40,716
“gogo” frequency rank
#2,679
“golf” frequency rank
43395
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature gogo golf
Definition An elasticated hair band. A ball game played by individuals competing against one another in which the object is to hit a ball into each of a series of (usually 18 or nine) holes in the minimum number of strokes.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set gogo and golf apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
gogo
4 ch
golf

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. gogo (/ˈɡəʊɡəʊ/) and golf (/ɡɒlf/) 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 43395, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

gogo is recorded at frequency rank #40,716, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈɡəʊɡəʊ/. golf is at rank #2,679, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ɡɒlf/.

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 43395, this pair ranks #240,373 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of gogo vs golf

Shared letters: go. Private to "gogo": -. Private to "golf": fl.

"gogo" · 4 letters · shape CVCV  ·  "golf" · 4 letters · shape CVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • gogoggogo · ggoo · goggo · goog · oggo
  • golfggolf · glof · gofl · golff · gollf · oglf

Frequency comparison

gogo#40,716
golf#2,679

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "gogo" and "golf" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (/ˈɡəʊɡəʊ/ versus /ɡɒlf/) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "gogo" or "golf"?
"golf" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,679 in our English list, against #40,716 for "gogo". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering gogo vs golf

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 “gogo” 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