milevsmoldWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“mile” and “mold” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#2,544
“mile” frequency rank
#10,089
“mold” frequency rank
12633
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature mile mold
Definition The international mile: a unit of length precisely equal to 1.609344 kilometers established by treaty among Anglophone nations in 1959, divided into 5,280 feet or 1,760 yards. A hollow form or matrix for shaping a fluid or plastic substance.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set mile and mold apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
mile
4 ch
mold

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

mile and mold form a confusable pair in the English index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 12633, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

mile is recorded at frequency rank #2,544, classified as anoun, pronounced /maɪ̯l/. mold is at rank #10,089, tagged as anoun, pronounced /məʊld/.

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 12633, this pair ranks #480,428 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Frequency comparison

mile#2,544
mold#10,089

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "mile" and "mold" be used interchangeably?
No, "mile" and "mold" have distinct meanings and cannot be swapped without changing the meaning of a sentence. Understanding the specific definition and context for each word is essential for correct usage.

Remembering mile vs mold

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 “mile” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list