Which to use
“mean” is a verb and “means” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #274
- “mean” frequency rank
- #349
- “means” frequency rank
- 623
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | mean | means |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | To intend. | plural of mean |
Where the eye mixes mean and means
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: mean is /miːn/ while means is /miːnz/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “mean” sits inside “means”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 623, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
mean is recorded at frequency rank #274, classified as averb, pronounced /miːn/. means is at rank #349, tagged as anoun, pronounced /miːnz/.
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 623, this pair ranks #529,094 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of mean vs means
Shared letters: aemn. Private to "mean": -. Private to "means": s.
"mean" · 4 letters · shape CVVC · "means" · 5 letters · shape CVVCC