Which to use
“statues” and “statute” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #12,148
- “statues” frequency rank
- #9,257
- “statute” frequency rank
- 21405
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | statues | statute |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | plural of statue | A written law or ordinance passed by a legislative body. |
Where the eye mixes statues and statute
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: statues vs statute
A purely visual mix-up. statues (/ˈstæt͡ʃ.uːz/) and statute (/ˈstatjuːt/) 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 21405, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
statues is recorded at frequency rank #12,148, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈstæt͡ʃ.uːz/. statute is at rank #9,257, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈstatjuːt/.
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 21405, this pair ranks #424,156 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of statues vs statute
Shared letters: aestu. Private to "statues": -. Private to "statute": -.
"statues" · 7 letters · shape CCVCVVC · "statute" · 7 letters · shape CCVCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "statues" and "statute" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "statues" or "statute"?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "statues" and "statute" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "statues" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "statute" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #424,156 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "statues" and "statute" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "statues 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 #424,156 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.