Which to use
“pity” and “pots” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #7,373
- “pity” frequency rank
- #10,257
- “pots” frequency rank
- 17630
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | pity | pots |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A feeling of sympathy at the misfortune or suffering of someone or something. | plural of pot |
Where the eye mixes pity and pots
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses pity with pots
A purely visual mix-up. pity (/ˈpɪt.i/) and pots (/pɑts/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 17630, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
pity is recorded at frequency rank #7,373, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈpɪt.i/. pots is at rank #10,257, tagged as anoun, pronounced /pɑts/.
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 17630, this pair ranks #450,178 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of pity vs pots
Shared letters: pt. Private to "pity": iy. Private to "pots": os.
"pity" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "pots" · 4 letters · shape CVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "pity" and "pots" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "pity" or "pots"?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "pity" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "pots" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #450,178 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "pity" and "pots" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "pecs vs pots". 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 #450,178 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.