Which to use
“states” is a noun and “stokes” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #282
- “states” frequency rank
- #13,617
- “stokes” frequency rank
- 13899
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | states | stokes |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | plural of state | third-person singular simple present indicative of stoke |
Letter map: states vs stokes
Shared letters muted; letters that set states and stokes apart highlighted. Shared run: 4.
Grammar separator: states vs stokes
Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: states is anoun and stokesaverb. On the page they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 13899, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
states is recorded at frequency rank #282, classified as anoun, pronounced /steɪts/. stokes is at rank #13,617, tagged as averb.
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 13899, this pair ranks #473,233 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of states vs stokes
Shared letters: est. Private to "states": a. Private to "stokes": ko.
"states" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC · "stokes" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "states" and "stokes" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "states" or "stokes"?
Useful next steps
Done with this confusable. These links stay specific to "states" and "stokes".
- Full dictionary entry for "states" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "stokes" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #473,233 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "states" and "stokes" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "stokes vs stover". 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 #473,233 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.