gotsvsgumsWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: gots is a verb, gums is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“gots” is a verb and “gums” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#41,153
“gots” frequency rank
#22,102
“gums” frequency rank
63255
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature gots gums
Definition Has, has got (3rd person singular). plural of gum

Where the spellings diverge

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

4 ch
gots
4 ch
gums

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: gots is averb and gumsanoun. On the page they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 63255, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

gots is recorded at frequency rank #41,153, classified as averb. gums is at rank #22,102, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ɡʌmz/.

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 63255, this pair ranks #83,964 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of gots vs gums

Shared letters: gs. Private to "gots": ot. Private to "gums": mu.

"gots" · 4 letters · shape CVCC  ·  "gums" · 4 letters · shape CVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • gotsggots · gost · gotss · gotts · gtos · ogts
  • gumsggums · gmus · gumms · gumss · gusm · ugms

Frequency comparison

gots#41,153
gums#22,102

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "gots" and "gums" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "gots" is a verb and "gums" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "gots" or "gums"?
"gums" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #22,102 in our English list, against #41,153 for "gots". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering gots vs gums

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “gots”; for a noun, it's “gums”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “gots” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list