Which to use
“list” and “lists” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #531
- “list” frequency rank
- #3,767
- “lists” frequency rank
- 4298
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | list | lists |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A strip of fabric, especially from the edge of a piece of cloth. | plural of list |
Where the eye mixes list and lists
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between list and lists
A purely visual mix-up. list (/lɪst/) 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 differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “list” sits inside “lists”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 4298, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
list is recorded at frequency rank #531, classified as anoun, pronounced /lɪst/. 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 4298, this pair ranks #519,383 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of list vs lists
Shared letters: ilst. Private to "list": -. Private to "lists": -.
"list" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "lists" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "list" and "lists" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "list" or "lists"?
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 "list" 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 #519,383 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "list" and "lists" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "list vs LSC". 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 #519,383 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.