Which to use
“question” and “questions” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #448
- “question” frequency rank
- #739
- “questions” frequency rank
- 1187
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | question | questions |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A worded or expressed sentence, phrase, or only a word on its own, which asks for information, a reply, or a response; an interrogative. | plural of question |
Where the eye mixes question and questions
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. question runs 8 letters (CVVCCVVC) against questions's 9 (CVVCCVVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between question and questions
A purely visual mix-up. question (/ˈkwɛs.tʃən/) and questions (/ˈkwɛst͡ʃənz/) 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) - “question” sits inside “questions”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 1187, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
question is recorded at frequency rank #448, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈkwɛs.tʃən/. questions is at rank #739, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈkwɛst͡ʃənz/.
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 1187, this pair ranks #527,918 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of question vs questions
Shared letters: einoqstu. Private to "question": -. Private to "questions": -.
"question" · 8 letters · shape CVVCCVVC · "questions" · 9 letters · shape CVVCCVVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "question" and "questions" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "question" vs "questions" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "question" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "questions" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #527,918 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "question" and "questions" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Quentin vs question". 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 #527,918 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.