Which to use
“strikes” and “strings” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #4,717
- “strikes” frequency rank
- #6,744
- “strings” frequency rank
- 11461
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | strikes | strings |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | plural of strike | plural of string |
Where the eye mixes strikes and strings
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between strikes and strings
A purely visual mix-up. strikes (/stɹaɪks/) and strings (/stɹɪŋz/) 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 11461, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
strikes is recorded at frequency rank #4,717, classified as anoun, pronounced /stɹaɪks/. strings is at rank #6,744, tagged as anoun, pronounced /stɹɪŋz/.
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 11461, this pair ranks #486,922 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of strikes vs strings
Shared letters: irst. Private to "strikes": ek. Private to "strings": gn.
"strikes" · 7 letters · shape CCCVCVC · "strings" · 7 letters · shape CCCVCCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "strikes" and "strings" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "strikes" vs "strings" - 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 "strikes" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "strings" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #486,922 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "strikes" and "strings" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "stringed vs strings". 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 #486,922 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.