Which to use
“number” is a noun and “Numbers” is a name - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #216
- “number” frequency rank
- #1,126
- “Numbers” frequency rank
- 1342
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | number | Numbers |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Quantity. | The Book of Numbers, the fourth of the Books of Moses in the Old Testament of the Bible, the fourth book in the Torah. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set number and Numbers apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: number is anoun and Numbersaname. On the page they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “number” sits inside “Numbers”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 1342, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
number is recorded at frequency rank #216, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈnʌmbər/. Numbers is at rank #1,126, tagged as aname.
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 1342, this pair ranks #527,616 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of number vs Numbers
Shared letters: bemnru. Private to "number": -. Private to "Numbers": s.
"number" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "Numbers" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "number" and "Numbers" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "number" or "Numbers"?
Remembering number vs Numbers
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “number”; for a name, it's “Numbers”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “number” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable