Which to use
“stakes” and “stores” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #6,962
- “stakes” frequency rank
- #2,370
- “stores” frequency rank
- 9332
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | stakes | stores |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | plural of stake | plural of store |
Where the eye mixes stakes and stores
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: stakes vs stores
A purely visual mix-up. stakes (/steɪks/) and stores (/stɔɹz/) 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 9332, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
stakes is recorded at frequency rank #6,962, classified as anoun, pronounced /steɪks/. stores is at rank #2,370, tagged as anoun, pronounced /stɔɹz/.
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 9332, this pair ranks #497,941 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of stakes vs stores
Shared letters: est. Private to "stakes": ak. Private to "stores": or.
"stakes" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC · "stores" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "stakes" for "stores" ever safe?
Frequency check: "stakes" vs "stores" - 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 "stakes" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "stores" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #497,941 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "stakes" and "stores" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "stakes vs staves". 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 #497,941 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.