Which to use
“instances” and “instincts” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #6,484
- “instances” frequency rank
- #12,448
- “instincts” frequency rank
- 18932
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | instances | instincts |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | plural of instance | plural of instinct |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set instances and instincts apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. instances (/ˈɪnstənsɪz/) and instincts (/ˈɪn.stɪŋkts/) 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 18932, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
instances is recorded at frequency rank #6,484, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈɪnstənsɪz/. instincts is at rank #12,448, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈɪn.stɪŋkts/.
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 18932, this pair ranks #441,609 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of instances vs instincts
Shared letters: cinst. Private to "instances": ae. Private to "instincts": -.
"instances" · 9 letters · shape VCCCVCCVC · "instincts" · 9 letters · shape VCCCVCCCC