Which to use
“spas” and “sprays” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #35,526
- “spas” frequency rank
- #22,514
- “sprays” frequency rank
- 58040
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | spas | sprays |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | plural of spa | plural of spray |
Where the eye mixes spas and sprays
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. spas runs 4 letters (CCVC) against sprays's 6 (CCCVVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between spas and sprays
A purely visual mix-up. spas (/spɑːz/) and sprays (/spɹeɪz/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 58040, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
spas is recorded at frequency rank #35,526, classified as anoun, pronounced /spɑːz/. sprays is at rank #22,514, tagged as anoun, pronounced /spɹeɪz/.
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 58040, this pair ranks #115,242 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of spas vs sprays
Shared letters: aps. Private to "spas": -. Private to "sprays": ry.
"spas" · 4 letters · shape CCVC · "sprays" · 6 letters · shape CCCVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "spas" for "sprays" ever safe?
Frequency check: "spas" vs "sprays" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "spas" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "sprays" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #115,242 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "spas" and "sprays" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "spas 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 #115,242 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.