Which to use
“problem” and “problems” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #391
- “problem” frequency rank
- #662
- “problems” frequency rank
- 1053
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | problem | problems |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A difficulty that has to be resolved or dealt with. | plural of problem |
Where the eye mixes problem and problems
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses problem with problems
A purely visual mix-up. problem (/ˈpɹɒbləm/) and problems (/ˈpɹɒbləmz/) 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) - “problem” sits inside “problems”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 1053, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
problem is recorded at frequency rank #391, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈpɹɒbləm/. problems is at rank #662, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈpɹɒbləmz/.
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 1053, this pair ranks #528,217 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of problem vs problems
Shared letters: belmopr. Private to "problem": -. Private to "problems": s.
"problem" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCVC · "problems" · 8 letters · shape CCVCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "problem" and "problems" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "problem" or "problems"?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "problem" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "problems" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #528,217 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "problem" and "problems" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "probe vs problem". 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 #528,217 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.