Which to use
“risk” and “risks” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #955
- “risk” frequency rank
- #3,978
- “risks” frequency rank
- 4933
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | risk | risks |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | The probability of a negative outcome to a decision or event. | plural of risk |
Where the eye mixes risk and risks
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: risk vs risks
A purely visual mix-up. risk (/ɹɪsk/) and risks (/ɹɪsks/) 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) - “risk” sits inside “risks”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 4933, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
risk is recorded at frequency rank #955, classified as anoun, pronounced /ɹɪsk/. risks is at rank #3,978, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ɹɪsks/.
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 4933, this pair ranks #517,182 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of risk vs risks
Shared letters: ikrs. Private to "risk": -. Private to "risks": -.
"risk" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "risks" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "risk" for "risks" ever safe?
Which is more common, "risk" or "risks"?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "risk" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "risks" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #517,182 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "risk" and "risks" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "risks vs rooks". 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 #517,182 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.