Which to use
“lapses” and “lopes” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #32,056
- “lapses” frequency rank
- #44,310
- “lopes” frequency rank
- 76366
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | lapses | lopes |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | plural of lapse | plural of lope |
Where the eye mixes lapses and lopes
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between lapses and lopes
A purely visual mix-up. lapses (/ˈlæpsɪz/) and lopes (/loʊps/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 76366, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
lapses is recorded at frequency rank #32,056, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈlæpsɪz/. lopes is at rank #44,310, tagged as anoun, pronounced /loʊps/.
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 76366, this pair ranks #30,332 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of lapses vs lopes
Shared letters: elps. Private to "lapses": a. Private to "lopes": o.
"lapses" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "lopes" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "lapses" and "lopes" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "lapses" vs "lopes" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "lapses" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "lopes" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #30,332 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "lapses" and "lopes" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "lope vs lopes". 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 #30,332 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.