ObamavsObamasWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#1,463
“Obama” frequency rank
#38,998
“Obamas” frequency rank
40461
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Obama Obamas
Definition An African surname from Luo. plural of Obama

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Obama and Obamas apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
Obama
6 ch
Obamas

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

Obama and Obamas form a confusable pair in the English index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “Obama” sits inside “Obamas” - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 40461, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Obama is recorded at frequency rank #1,463, classified as aname, pronounced /oʊˈbɑ.mə/. Obamas is at rank #38,998, 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 40461, this pair ranks #267,390 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Frequency comparison

Obama#1,463
Obamas#38,998

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Obama" and "Obamas" be used interchangeably?
No, "Obama" and "Obamas" 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 Obama vs Obamas

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 “Obama” 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