Which to use
“string” and “strips” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #3,658
- “string” frequency rank
- #8,861
- “strips” frequency rank
- 12519
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | string | strips |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A long, thin and flexible structure made from threads twisted together. | plural of strip |
Where the eye mixes string and strips
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses string with strips
A purely visual mix-up. string (/stɹɪŋ/) and strips (/stɹɪps/) 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 12519, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
string is recorded at frequency rank #3,658, classified as anoun, pronounced /stɹɪŋ/. strips is at rank #8,861, tagged as anoun, pronounced /stɹɪps/.
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 12519, this pair ranks #481,100 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of string vs strips
Shared letters: irst. Private to "string": gn. Private to "strips": p.
"string" · 6 letters · shape CCCVCC · "strips" · 6 letters · shape CCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "string" and "strips" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary English text, does "string" or "strips" show up more?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "string" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "strips" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #481,100 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "string" and "strips" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "scrip vs strips". 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 #481,100 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.