Which to use
“strike” is a verb and “strokes” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #2,234
- “strike” frequency rank
- #10,452
- “strokes” frequency rank
- 12686
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | strike | strokes |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | To delete or cross out; to scratch or eliminate. | plural of stroke |
Where the eye mixes strike and strokes
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses strike with strokes
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: strike is /stɹaɪk/ while strokes is /stɹoʊks/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 12686, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
strike is recorded at frequency rank #2,234, classified as averb, pronounced /stɹaɪk/. strokes is at rank #10,452, tagged as anoun, pronounced /stɹoʊks/.
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 12686, this pair ranks #480,119 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of strike vs strokes
Shared letters: ekrst. Private to "strike": i. Private to "strokes": o.
"strike" · 6 letters · shape CCCVCV · "strokes" · 7 letters · shape CCCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "strike" for "strokes" ever safe?
In ordinary English text, does "strike" or "strokes" show up more?
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 "strike" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "strokes" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #480,119 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "strike" and "strokes" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "strokes vs strove". 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 #480,119 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.