Which to use
“shrank” and “stank” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #33,019
- “shrank” frequency rank
- #39,107
- “stank” frequency rank
- 72126
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | shrank | stank |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | simple past of shrink | simple past of stink |
Where the eye mixes shrank and stank
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. shrank runs 6 letters (CCCVCC) against stank's 5 (CCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses shrank with stank
A purely visual mix-up. shrank (/ˈʃɹæŋk/) and stank (/stæŋk/) 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 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 72126, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
shrank is recorded at frequency rank #33,019, classified as averb, pronounced /ˈʃɹæŋk/. stank is at rank #39,107, tagged as averb, pronounced /stæŋk/.
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 72126, this pair ranks #44,122 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of shrank vs stank
Shared letters: akns. Private to "shrank": hr. Private to "stank": t.
"shrank" · 6 letters · shape CCCVCC · "stank" · 5 letters · shape CCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "shrank" and "stank" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "shrank" or "stank"?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "shrank" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "stank" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #44,122 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "shrank" and "stank" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "stank vs staph". 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 #44,122 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.