Which to use
“machine” and “machines” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,346
- “machine” frequency rank
- #3,244
- “machines” frequency rank
- 4590
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | machine | machines |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A device that directs and controls energy, often in the form of movement or electricity, to produce a certain effect. | plural of machine |
Where the eye mixes machine and machines
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: machine vs machines
A purely visual mix-up. machine (/məˈʃiːn/) and machines (/məˈʃiːnz/) 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) - “machine” sits inside “machines”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 4590, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
machine is recorded at frequency rank #1,346, classified as anoun, pronounced /məˈʃiːn/. machines is at rank #3,244, tagged as anoun, pronounced /məˈʃiːnz/.
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 4590, this pair ranks #518,393 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of machine vs machines
Shared letters: acehimn. Private to "machine": -. Private to "machines": s.
"machine" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCV · "machines" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "machine" and "machines" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "machine" or "machines"?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "machine" and "machines" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "machine" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "machines" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #518,393 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "machine" and "machines" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "machine vs Manchin". 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 #518,393 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.