Which to use
“reduce” and “reduces” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,916
- “reduce” frequency rank
- #7,381
- “reduces” frequency rank
- 9297
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | reduce | reduces |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | To bring down the size, quantity, quality, value or intensity of something; to diminish, to lower. | third-person singular simple present indicative of reduce |
Where the eye mixes reduce and reduces
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. reduce runs 6 letters (CVCVCV) against reduces's 7 (CVCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: reduce vs reduces
A purely visual mix-up. reduce (/ɹɪˈd͡ʒuːs/) and reduces (/ɹɪˈdjuː.sɪz/) 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) - “reduce” sits inside “reduces”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 9297, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
reduce is recorded at frequency rank #1,916, classified as averb, pronounced /ɹɪˈd͡ʒuːs/. reduces is at rank #7,381, tagged as averb, pronounced /ɹɪˈdjuː.sɪz/.
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 9297, this pair ranks #498,118 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of reduce vs reduces
Shared letters: cderu. Private to "reduce": -. Private to "reduces": s.
"reduce" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV · "reduces" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "reduce" for "reduces" ever safe?
Which is more common, "reduce" or "reduces"?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "reduce" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "reduces" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #498,118 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "reduce" and "reduces" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "reduce vs repute". 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 #498,118 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.