Which to use
“infant” and “infants” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #7,236
- “infant” frequency rank
- #10,226
- “infants” frequency rank
- 17462
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | infant | infants |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A very young human being, from birth to somewhere between six months and two years of age after birth, needing almost constant care and attention. | plural of infant |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set infant and infants apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
infant and infants are indexed as a confusable English pair. We have no recorded pronunciation or part of speech for both members, so the spelling overlap is what we can show you: they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “infant” sits inside “infants”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 17462, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
infant is recorded at frequency rank #7,236, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈɪn.fənt/. infants is at rank #10,226, tagged as anoun.
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 17462, this pair ranks #451,266 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of infant vs infants
Shared letters: afint. Private to "infant": -. Private to "infants": s.
"infant" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCC · "infants" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "infant" and "infants" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "infant" or "infants"?
Remembering infant vs infants
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 “infant” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable