Which to use
“skids” and “spies” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #40,894
- “skids” frequency rank
- #11,297
- “spies” frequency rank
- 52191
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | skids | spies |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | plural of skid | plural of spy |
Where the eye mixes skids and spies
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. skids (CCVCC) and spies (CCVVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Look-alike desk: skids vs spies
A purely visual mix-up. skids (/skɪdz/) and spies (/spaɪz/) 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 52191, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
skids is recorded at frequency rank #40,894, classified as anoun, pronounced /skɪdz/. spies is at rank #11,297, tagged as anoun, pronounced /spaɪz/.
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 52191, this pair ranks #159,132 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of skids vs spies
Shared letters: is. Private to "skids": dk. Private to "spies": ep.
"skids" · 5 letters · shape CCVCC · "spies" · 5 letters · shape CCVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "skids" for "spies" ever safe?
Frequency check: "skids" vs "spies" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "skids" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "spies" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #159,132 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "skids" and "spies" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "skids vs suds". 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 #159,132 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.