Which to use
“tank” and “thank” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,647
- “tank” frequency rank
- #317
- “thank” frequency rank
- 2964
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | tank | thank |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A closed container for liquids or gases. | singular of thanks (“an expression of appreciation or gratitude; grateful feelings or thoughts; favour, goodwill, graciousness”) |
Where the eye mixes tank and thank
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. tank (/ˈtæŋk/) and thank (/ˈθæŋk/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 2964, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
tank is recorded at frequency rank #2,647, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈtæŋk/. thank is at rank #317, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈθæŋk/.
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 2964, this pair ranks #523,519 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of tank vs thank
Shared letters: aknt. Private to "tank": -. Private to "thank": h.
"tank" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "thank" · 5 letters · shape CCVCC