Which to use
“joins” is a noun and “joking” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #6,702
- “joins” frequency rank
- #6,703
- “joking” frequency rank
- 13405
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | joins | joking |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | plural of join | present participle and gerund of joke |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set joins and joking apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: joins is /d͡ʒɔɪnz/ while joking is /ˈd͡ʒəʊkɪŋ/. 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 13405, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
joins is recorded at frequency rank #6,702, classified as anoun, pronounced /d͡ʒɔɪnz/. joking is at rank #6,703, tagged as averb, pronounced /ˈd͡ʒəʊkɪŋ/.
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 13405, this pair ranks #476,010 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of joins vs joking
Shared letters: ijno. Private to "joins": s. Private to "joking": gk.
"joins" · 5 letters · shape CVVCC · "joking" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "joins" and "joking" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "joins" or "joking"?
Remembering joins vs joking
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “joins”; for a verb, it's “joking”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “joins” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable