# midge vs mirage

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### midge
*noun · IPA /mɪd͡ʒ/ · frequency rank #38,967*
Any of various small two-winged flies, for example, from the family Chironomidae or non-biting midges, the family Chaoboridae or phantom midges, and the family Ceratopogonidae or biting midges, all belonging to the order Diptera.

### mirage
*noun · IPA /mɪˈɹɑːʒ/ · frequency rank #19,906*
An optical phenomenon in which light is refracted through a layer of hot air close to the ground, often giving the illusion of a body of water.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/vs/midge-vs-mirage