Which to use
“index” and “indexes” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,628
- “index” frequency rank
- #19,111
- “indexes” frequency rank
- 21739
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | index | indexes |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | An alphabetical listing of items and their location. | plural of index |
Where the eye mixes index and indexes
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. index runs 5 letters (VCCVC) against indexes's 7 (VCCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: index vs indexes
A purely visual mix-up. index (/ˈɪndɛks/) and indexes (/ˈɪndɛksɪz/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “index” sits inside “indexes”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 21739, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
index is recorded at frequency rank #2,628, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈɪndɛks/. indexes is at rank #19,111, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈɪndɛksɪz/.
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 21739, this pair ranks #421,714 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of index vs indexes
Shared letters: deinx. Private to "index": -. Private to "indexes": s.
"index" · 5 letters · shape VCCVC · "indexes" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "index" and "indexes" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "index" or "indexes"?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "index" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "indexes" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #421,714 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "index" and "indexes" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ides vs index". 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 #421,714 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.