Which to use
“poll” and “pox” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #3,969
- “poll” frequency rank
- #28,674
- “pox” frequency rank
- 32643
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | poll | pox |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A survey of people, usually statistically analyzed to gauge wider public opinion. | A disease characterized by purulent skin eruptions that may leave pockmarks. |
Where the eye mixes poll and pox
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: poll vs pox
A purely visual mix-up. poll (/pɔl/) and pox (/pɑks/) 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 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 32643, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
poll is recorded at frequency rank #3,969, classified as anoun, pronounced /pɔl/. pox is at rank #28,674, tagged as anoun, pronounced /pɑks/.
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 32643, this pair ranks #336,129 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of poll vs pox
Shared letters: op. Private to "poll": l. Private to "pox": x.
"poll" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "pox" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- poll ← opll · plol · ppoll
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "poll" and "pox" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "poll" or "pox"?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "poll" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "pox" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #336,129 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "poll" and "pox" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "pox vs PPA". 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 #336,129 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.