Which to use
“sink” is a verb and “six” is a num - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #5,081
- “sink” frequency rank
- #519
- “six” frequency rank
- 5600
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | sink | six |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | To move or be moved into something. | A numerical value equal to 6; the number following five and preceding seven. This number of dots: (••••••). |
Where the eye mixes sink and six
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: sink vs six
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: sink is /ˈsɪŋk/ while six is /sɪks/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs num), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 5600, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
sink is recorded at frequency rank #5,081, classified as averb, pronounced /ˈsɪŋk/. six is at rank #519, tagged as anum, pronounced /sɪks/.
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 5600, this pair ranks #514,682 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of sink vs six
Shared letters: is. Private to "sink": kn. Private to "six": x.
"sink" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "six" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- sink ← isnk · sinkk · sinnk · snik · ssink
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "sink" and "six" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary English text, does "sink" or "six" show up more?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "sink" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "six" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #514,682 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "sink" and "six" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Sif vs sink". 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 #514,682 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.