Which to use
“states” and “statist” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #282
- “states” frequency rank
- #46,791
- “statist” frequency rank
- 47073
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | states | statist |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | plural of state | A supporter of statism. |
Where the eye mixes states and statist
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. states runs 6 letters (CCVCVC) against statist's 7 (CCVCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between states and statist
A purely visual mix-up. states (/steɪts/) and statist (/ˈsteɪtɪst/) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 47073, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
states is recorded at frequency rank #282, classified as anoun, pronounced /steɪts/. statist is at rank #46,791, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈsteɪtɪst/.
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 47073, this pair ranks #205,805 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of states vs statist
Shared letters: ast. Private to "states": e. Private to "statist": i.
"states" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC · "statist" · 7 letters · shape CCVCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "states" and "statist" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "states" vs "statist" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "states" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "statist" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #205,805 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "states" and "statist" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "sadist vs statist". 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 #205,805 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.