Which to use
“Misses” and “misstep” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #8,958
- “Misses” frequency rank
- #47,201
- “misstep” frequency rank
- 56159
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Misses | misstep |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | plural of Miss | A step that is wrong, a false step. |
Where the eye mixes Misses and misstep
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between Misses and misstep
A purely visual mix-up. Misses (/ˈmɪsɪz/) and misstep (/ˈmɪs.stɛp/) 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 56159, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Misses is recorded at frequency rank #8,958, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈmɪsɪz/. misstep is at rank #47,201, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈmɪs.stɛp/.
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 56159, this pair ranks #128,267 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of Misses vs misstep
Shared letters: eims. Private to "Misses": -. Private to "misstep": pt.
"Misses" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "misstep" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Misses" and "misstep" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "Misses" or "misstep"?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "Misses" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "misstep" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #128,267 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Misses" and "misstep" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "minster vs misstep". 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 #128,267 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.