Which to use
“lacks” and “links” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #8,444
- “lacks” frequency rank
- #1,951
- “links” frequency rank
- 10395
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | lacks | links |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | plural of lack | plural of link |
Where the eye mixes lacks and links
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses lacks with links
A purely visual mix-up. lacks (/læks/) and links (/lɪŋks/) 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 10395, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
lacks is recorded at frequency rank #8,444, classified as anoun, pronounced /læks/. links is at rank #1,951, tagged as anoun, pronounced /lɪŋks/.
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 10395, this pair ranks #492,563 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of lacks vs links
Shared letters: kls. Private to "lacks": ac. Private to "links": in.
"lacks" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC · "links" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "lacks" and "links" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "lacks" vs "links" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "lacks" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "links" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #492,563 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "lacks" and "links" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "lacks vs lances". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #492,563 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.