sacsvsslacksWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#40,005
“sacs” frequency rank
#33,420
“slacks” frequency rank
73425
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature sacs slacks
Definition plural of sac Semi-formal trousers which are less formal than those that are part of a suit but nowadays are considered suitable casualwear in most offices. (Takes a plural verb even when referring to a single pair; may be referred to as a pair of slacks.)

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set sacs and slacks apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
sacs
6 ch
slacks

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

sacs and slacks are indexed as a confusable English pair. We have no recorded pronunciation or part of speech for both members, so the spelling overlap is what we can show you: they differ by 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 73425, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

sacs is recorded at frequency rank #40,005, classified as anoun, pronounced /sæks/. slacks is at rank #33,420, tagged as anoun.

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 73425, this pair ranks #39,671 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of sacs vs slacks

Shared letters: acs. Private to "sacs": -. Private to "slacks": kl.

"sacs" · 4 letters · shape CVCC  ·  "slacks" · 6 letters · shape CCVCCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • sacsascs · saccs · sacss · sasc · scas · ssacs
  • slackslsacks · salcks · slaccks · slackks · slackss · slacsk · slakcs · slcaks

Frequency comparison

sacs#40,005
slacks#33,420

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "sacs" and "slacks" be used interchangeably?
No. They differ by 2 letter(s) in length, but the dictionary glosses above give them different meanings, so swapping one for the other changes what the sentence says.
Which is more common, "sacs" or "slacks"?
"slacks" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #33,420 in our English list, against #40,005 for "sacs". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering sacs vs slacks

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 “sacs” 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