indicesvsinduceConfusable pair

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

Which to use

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

#16,943
“indices” frequency rank
#13,736
“induce” frequency rank
30679
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature indices induce
Definition plural of index To lead by persuasion or influence; incite or prevail upon.

Where the eye mixes indices and induce

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.

7 ch
indices
6 ch
induce

Look-alike desk: indices vs induce

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: indices is /ˈɪndɪsiːz/ while induce is /ɪnˈduːs/. 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 (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 30679, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

indices is recorded at frequency rank #16,943, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈɪndɪsiːz/. induce is at rank #13,736, tagged as averb, pronounced /ɪnˈduːs/.

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 30679, this pair ranks #352,508 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of indices vs induce

Shared letters: cdein. Private to "indices": s. Private to "induce": u.

"indices" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVC  ·  "induce" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • indicesidnices · indcies · inddices · indicces · indicess · indicse · indiecs · inidces
  • induceidnuce · indcue · indduce · inducce · induec · innduce · inudce · niduce

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "indices" for "induce" ever safe?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "indices" is a noun and "induce" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "indices" or "induce"?
"induce" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #13,736 in our English list, against #16,943 for "indices". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "indices" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "induce" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #352,508 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "indices" and "induce" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "induce vs Inoue". 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 #352,508 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list