Which to use
“shares” and “states” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,502
- “shares” frequency rank
- #282
- “states” frequency rank
- 2784
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | shares | states |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | plural of share | plural of state |
Where the eye mixes shares and states
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. shares (/ʃɛəz/) and states (/steɪts/) 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 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 2784, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
shares is recorded at frequency rank #2,502, classified as anoun, pronounced /ʃɛəz/. states is at rank #282, tagged as anoun, pronounced /steɪts/.
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 2784, this pair ranks #524,039 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of shares vs states
Shared letters: aes. Private to "shares": hr. Private to "states": t.
"shares" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC · "states" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC