Which to use
“mob” and “mote” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #6,810
- “mob” frequency rank
- #45,526
- “mote” frequency rank
- 52336
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | mob | mote |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A large or disorderly group of people; especially one bent on riotous or destructive action. | A small particle; a speck. |
Where the eye mixes mob and mote
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses mob with mote
A purely visual mix-up. mob (/mɒb/) and mote (/moʊt/) 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 52336, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
mob is recorded at frequency rank #6,810, classified as anoun, pronounced /mɒb/. mote is at rank #45,526, tagged as anoun, pronounced /moʊt/.
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 52336, this pair ranks #157,923 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of mob vs mote
Shared letters: mo. Private to "mob": b. Private to "mote": et.
"mob" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "mote" · 4 letters · shape CVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- mote ← mmote · moet · motte · mtoe · omte
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "mob" and "mote" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "mob" or "mote"?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "mob" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "mote" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #157,923 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "mob" and "mote" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Moog vs mote". 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 #157,923 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.