Which to use
“maps” and “mumps” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #3,508
- “maps” frequency rank
- #36,683
- “mumps” frequency rank
- 40191
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | maps | mumps |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | plural of map | A contagious disease caused by the Mumps virus of the genus Rubulavirus, mostly occurring in childhood, which causes swelling of glands in the face and neck. |
Where the eye mixes maps and mumps
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between maps and mumps
A purely visual mix-up. maps (/mæps/) and mumps (/mʌmps/) 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 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 40191, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
maps is recorded at frequency rank #3,508, classified as anoun, pronounced /mæps/. mumps is at rank #36,683, tagged as anoun, pronounced /mʌmps/.
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 40191, this pair ranks #269,800 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of maps vs mumps
Shared letters: mps. Private to "maps": a. Private to "mumps": u.
"maps" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "mumps" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "maps" for "mumps" ever safe?
Frequency check: "maps" vs "mumps" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "maps" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "mumps" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #269,800 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "maps" and "mumps" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "MMP vs mumps". 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 #269,800 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.