pricesvspricksWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#1,403
“prices” frequency rank
#27,975
“pricks” frequency rank
29378
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature prices pricks
Definition plural of price plural of prick

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
prices
6 ch
pricks

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

prices and pricks 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 a single letter - e in “prices” becomes k in “pricks” - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 29378, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

prices is recorded at frequency rank #1,403, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈpɹaɪsɪz/. pricks is at rank #27,975, tagged as anoun, pronounced /pɹɪks/.

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 29378, this pair ranks #363,504 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Frequency comparison

prices#1,403
pricks#27,975

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "prices" and "pricks" be used interchangeably?
No, "prices" and "pricks" 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 prices vs pricks

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 “prices” 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