sookvssousWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: sook is a verb, sous is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“sook” is a verb and “sous” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#46,187
“sook” frequency rank
#25,213
“sous” frequency rank
71400
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature sook sous
Definition Alternative spelling of suck. plural of sou

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set sook and sous apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
sook
4 ch
sous

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: sook is averb and sousanoun. On the page they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 71400, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

sook is recorded at frequency rank #46,187, classified as averb. sous is at rank #25,213, tagged as anoun, pronounced /suːz/.

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 71400, this pair ranks #46,898 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of sook vs sous

Shared letters: os. Private to "sook": k. Private to "sous": u.

"sook" · 4 letters · shape CVVC  ·  "sous" · 4 letters · shape CVVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • sookosok · sok · soko · sookk · ssook
  • sousosus · sosu · souss · ssous · suos

Frequency comparison

sook#46,187
sous#25,213

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "sook" and "sous" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "sook" is a verb and "sous" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "sook" or "sous"?
"sous" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #25,213 in our English list, against #46,187 for "sook". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering sook vs sous

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “sook”; for a noun, it's “sous”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “sook” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list