Which to use
“slower” is an adjective and “slows” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #7,398
- “slower” frequency rank
- #17,491
- “slows” frequency rank
- 24889
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | slower | slows |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | comparative form of slow: more slow | third-person singular simple present indicative of slow |
Where the eye mixes slower and slows
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses slower with slows
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: slower is /ˈsləʊə/ while slows is /slaːz/. 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 (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 24889, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
slower is recorded at frequency rank #7,398, classified as anadj, pronounced /ˈsləʊə/. slows is at rank #17,491, tagged as averb, pronounced /slaːz/.
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 24889, this pair ranks #398,553 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of slower vs slows
Shared letters: losw. Private to "slower": er. Private to "slows": -.
"slower" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC · "slows" · 5 letters · shape CCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "slower" and "slows" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "slower" vs "slows" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "slower" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "slows" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #398,553 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "slower" and "slows" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "slaw vs slows". 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 #398,553 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.