Which to use
“says” and “stay” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #310
- “says” frequency rank
- #473
- “stay” frequency rank
- 783
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | says | stay |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | third-person singular simple present indicative of say | To remain in a particular place, especially for a definite or short period of time; sojourn; abide. |
Where the eye mixes says and stay
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. says (/sɛz/) and stay (/steɪ/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 3 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 783, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
says is recorded at frequency rank #310, classified as averb, pronounced /sɛz/. stay is at rank #473, tagged as averb, pronounced /steɪ/.
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 783, this pair ranks #528,791 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of says vs stay
Shared letters: asy. Private to "says": -. Private to "stay": t.
"says" · 4 letters · shape CVVC · "stay" · 4 letters · shape CCVV