Which to use
“libel” and “limes” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #18,606
- “libel” frequency rank
- #34,961
- “limes” frequency rank
- 53567
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | libel | limes |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A written or pictorial false statement which unjustly seeks to damage someone's reputation. | A boundary or border, especially of the Roman Empire. |
Where the eye mixes libel and limes
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. libel and limes follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Visual trap between libel and limes
A purely visual mix-up. libel (/ˈlaɪbəl/) and limes (/ˈlʌɪmiːz/) 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 53567, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
libel is recorded at frequency rank #18,606, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈlaɪbəl/. limes is at rank #34,961, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈlʌɪmiːz/.
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 53567, this pair ranks #147,927 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of libel vs limes
Shared letters: eil. Private to "libel": b. Private to "limes": ms.
"libel" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "limes" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "libel" for "limes" ever safe?
Which is more common, "libel" or "limes"?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "libel" and "limes" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "libel" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "limes" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #147,927 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "libel" and "limes" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "liken vs limes". 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 #147,927 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.