Which to use
“picket” and “pike” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #20,458
- “picket” frequency rank
- #11,580
- “pike” frequency rank
- 32038
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | picket | pike |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A stake driven into the ground. | A very long spear used two-handed by infantry soldiers for thrusting (not throwing), both for attacks on enemy foot soldiers and as a countermeasure against cavalry assaults. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set picket and pike apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. picket (/ˈpɪkɪt/) and pike (/paɪk/) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 32038, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
picket is recorded at frequency rank #20,458, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈpɪkɪt/. pike is at rank #11,580, tagged as anoun, pronounced /paɪk/.
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 32038, this pair ranks #341,123 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of picket vs pike
Shared letters: eikp. Private to "picket": ct. Private to "pike": -.
"picket" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "pike" · 4 letters · shape CVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "picket" and "pike" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "picket" or "pike"?
Remembering picket vs pike
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 “picket” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable