Which to use
“merit” and “merits” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #6,267
- “merit” frequency rank
- #11,743
- “merits” frequency rank
- 18010
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | merit | merits |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A claim to commendation or a reward. | plural of merit |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set merit and merits apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. merit (/ˈmɛɹɪt/) and merits (/ˈmɛɹ.ɪts/) 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) - “merit” sits inside “merits”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 18010, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
merit is recorded at frequency rank #6,267, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈmɛɹɪt/. merits is at rank #11,743, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈmɛɹ.ɪts/.
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 18010, this pair ranks #447,716 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of merit vs merits
Shared letters: eimrt. Private to "merit": -. Private to "merits": s.
"merit" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "merits" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "merit" and "merits" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "merit" or "merits"?
Remembering merit vs merits
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 “merit” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable