# shades vs spade

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### shades
*noun · IPA /ʃeɪdz/ · frequency rank #7,177*
plural of shade

### spade
*noun · IPA /speɪ̯d/ · frequency rank #18,960*
A garden tool with a handle and a flat blade for digging. Not to be confused with a shovel which is used for moving earth or other materials.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/vs/shades-vs-spade