indicesvsinsidesWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#16,943
“indices” frequency rank
#24,798
“insides” frequency rank
41741
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature indices insides
Definition plural of index plural of inside

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set indices and insides apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
indices
7 ch
insides

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. indices (/ˈɪndɪsiːz/) and insides (/ɪnˈsaɪdz/) 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 41741, 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/. insides is at rank #24,798, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ɪnˈsaɪdz/.

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 41741, this pair ranks #255,519 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of indices vs insides

Shared letters: deins. Private to "indices": c. Private to "insides": -.

"indices" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVC  ·  "insides" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • indicesidnices · indcies · inddices · indicces · indicess · indicse · indiecs · inidces
  • insidesinisdes · innsides · insdies · insiddes · insidess · insidse · insieds · inssides

Frequency comparison

indices#16,943
insides#24,798

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "indices" and "insides" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (/ˈɪndɪsiːz/ versus /ɪnˈsaɪdz/) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "indices" or "insides"?
"indices" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #16,943 in our English list, against #24,798 for "insides". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering indices vs insides

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 “indices” 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