modelsvsmodusConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#1,871
“models” frequency rank
#31,659
“modus” frequency rank
33530
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature models modus
Definition plural of model The arrangement of, or mode of expressing, the terms of a contract or conveyance.

Where the eye mixes models and modus

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.

6 ch
models
5 ch
modus

Visual trap between models and modus

A purely visual mix-up. models (/ˈmɒd.l̩z/) and modus (/ˈməʊdəs/) 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 33530, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

models is recorded at frequency rank #1,871, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈmɒd.l̩z/. modus is at rank #31,659, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈməʊdəs/.

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 33530, this pair ranks #328,636 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of models vs modus

Shared letters: dmos. Private to "models": el. Private to "modus": u.

"models" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCC  ·  "modus" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • modelsmdoels · mmodels · moddels · modells · modelss · modesl · modles · moedls
  • modusmdous · mmodus · moddus · modsu · moduss · mouds · omdus

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "models" for "modus" ever safe?
No. They are said differently (/ˈmɒd.l̩z/ versus /ˈməʊdəs/) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "models" vs "modus" - which ranks higher?
"models" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,871 in our English list, against #31,659 for "modus". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

After this comparison

Eye-level mix-up between "models" and "modus" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "models" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "modus" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #328,636 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "models" and "modus" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "magus vs modus". 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 #328,636 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list