Which to use
“limes” and “lists” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #34,961
- “limes” frequency rank
- #3,767
- “lists” frequency rank
- 38728
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | limes | lists |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A boundary or border, especially of the Roman Empire. | plural of list |
Where the eye mixes limes and lists
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between limes and lists
A purely visual mix-up. limes (/ˈlʌɪmiːz/) and lists (/lɪsts/) 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 38728, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
limes is recorded at frequency rank #34,961, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈlʌɪmiːz/. lists is at rank #3,767, tagged as anoun, pronounced /lɪsts/.
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 38728, this pair ranks #283,328 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of limes vs lists
Shared letters: ils. Private to "limes": em. Private to "lists": t.
"limes" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "lists" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "limes" for "lists" ever safe?
Frequency check: "limes" vs "lists" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "limes" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "lists" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #283,328 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "limes" and "lists" 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 #283,328 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.