jigsvsjinxWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#48,301
“jigs” frequency rank
#24,209
“jinx” frequency rank
72510
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature jigs jinx
Definition plural of jig A hex; an evil spell.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set jigs and jinx apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
jigs
4 ch
jinx

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. jigs (/d͡ʒɪɡz/) and jinx (/d͡ʒɪŋks/) 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 72510, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

jigs is recorded at frequency rank #48,301, classified as anoun, pronounced /d͡ʒɪɡz/. jinx is at rank #24,209, tagged as anoun, pronounced /d͡ʒɪŋks/.

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 72510, this pair ranks #42,747 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of jigs vs jinx

Shared letters: ij. Private to "jigs": gs. Private to "jinx": nx.

"jigs" · 4 letters · shape CVCC  ·  "jinx" · 4 letters · shape CVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • jigsijgs · jgis · jiggs · jigss · jisg · jjigs
  • jinxijnx · jinnx · jinxx · jixn · jjinx · jnix

Frequency comparison

jigs#48,301
jinx#24,209

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "jigs" and "jinx" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (/d͡ʒɪɡz/ versus /d͡ʒɪŋks/) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "jigs" or "jinx"?
"jinx" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #24,209 in our English list, against #48,301 for "jigs". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering jigs vs jinx

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 “jigs” 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