Which to use
“tables” is a noun and “tallest” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #4,415
- “tables” frequency rank
- #15,074
- “tallest” frequency rank
- 19489
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | tables | tallest |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | plural of table | superlative form of tall: most tall |
Where the eye mixes tables and tallest
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. tables runs 6 letters (CVCCVC) against tallest's 7 (CVCCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between tables and tallest
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: tables is /ˈteɪbl̩z/ while tallest is /ˈtɔː.lɪst/. 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 (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 19489, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
tables is recorded at frequency rank #4,415, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈteɪbl̩z/. tallest is at rank #15,074, tagged as anadj, pronounced /ˈtɔː.lɪst/.
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 19489, this pair ranks #437,794 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of tables vs tallest
Shared letters: aelst. Private to "tables": b. Private to "tallest": -.
"tables" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "tallest" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "tables" and "tallest" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary English text, does "tables" or "tallest" show up more?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "tables" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "tallest" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #437,794 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "tables" and "tallest" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "tables vs tamales". 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 #437,794 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.