Which to use
“magistrate” and “magistrates” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #11,068
- “magistrate” frequency rank
- #14,360
- “magistrates” frequency rank
- 25428
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | magistrate | magistrates |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A judicial officer with limited authority to administer and enforce the law. A magistrate's court may have jurisdiction in civil or criminal cases, or both. | plural of magistrate |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set magistrate and magistrates apart are highlighted. They share 10 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. magistrate (/ˈmæd͡ʒ.ɪˌstɹeɪt/) and magistrates (/ˈmæd͡ʒɪstɹeɪts/) 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) - “magistrate” sits inside “magistrates”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 25428, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
magistrate is recorded at frequency rank #11,068, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈmæd͡ʒ.ɪˌstɹeɪt/. magistrates is at rank #14,360, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈmæd͡ʒɪstɹeɪts/.
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 25428, this pair ranks #394,362 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of magistrate vs magistrates
Shared letters: aegimrst. Private to "magistrate": -. Private to "magistrates": -.
"magistrate" · 10 letters · shape CVCVCCCVCV · "magistrates" · 11 letters · shape CVCVCCCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- magistrate ← amgistrate · maggistrate · magisrtate · magisstrate · magistarte · magistraet · magistratte · magistrrate
- magistrates ← amgistrates · maggistrates · magisrtates · magisstrates · magistartes · magistraets · magistratess · magistratse
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "magistrate" and "magistrates" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "magistrate" or "magistrates"?
Remembering magistrate vs magistrates
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “magistrate” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable