Which to use
“sox” and “spy” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #9,101
- “sox” frequency rank
- #4,799
- “spy” frequency rank
- 13900
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | sox | spy |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | plural of sock (footwear) | A person who secretly watches and examines the actions of other individuals or organizations and gathers information on them (usually to gain an advantage). |
Where the eye mixes sox and spy
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Why the eye confuses sox with spy
A purely visual mix-up. sox (/sɑks/) and spy (/spaɪ/) 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 13900, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
sox is recorded at frequency rank #9,101, classified as anoun, pronounced /sɑks/. spy is at rank #4,799, tagged as anoun, pronounced /spaɪ/.
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 13900, this pair ranks #473,230 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of sox vs spy
Shared letters: s. Private to "sox": ox. Private to "spy": py.
"sox" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "spy" · 3 letters · shape CCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "sox" and "spy" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "sox" or "spy"?
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 "sox" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "spy" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #473,230 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "sox" and "spy" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Sif vs sox". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #473,230 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.