Which to use
“paragraph” and “paragraphs” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #6,817
- “paragraph” frequency rank
- #13,578
- “paragraphs” frequency rank
- 20395
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | paragraph | paragraphs |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A passage in text that starts on a new line, the first line sometimes being indented, and usually marks a change of topic. | plural of paragraph |
Where the eye mixes paragraph and paragraphs
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: paragraph vs paragraphs
A purely visual mix-up. paragraph (/ˈpæɹəɡɹɑːf/) and paragraphs (/ˈpæɹəɡɹɑːfs/) 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 extra letter(s) - “paragraph” sits inside “paragraphs”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 20395, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
paragraph is recorded at frequency rank #6,817, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈpæɹəɡɹɑːf/. paragraphs is at rank #13,578, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈpæɹəɡɹɑːfs/.
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 20395, this pair ranks #431,382 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of paragraph vs paragraphs
Shared letters: aghpr. Private to "paragraph": -. Private to "paragraphs": s.
"paragraph" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCCVCC · "paragraphs" · 10 letters · shape CVCVCCVCCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- paragraph ← apragraph · paargraph · paragarph · paraggraph · paragrahp · paragraphh · paragrapph · paragrpah
- paragraphs ← apragraphs · paargraphs · paragarphs · paraggraphs · paragrahps · paragraphhs · paragraphss · paragrapphs
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "paragraph" and "paragraphs" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "paragraph" vs "paragraphs" - which ranks higher?
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 "paragraph" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "paragraphs" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #431,382 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- 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 #431,382 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.