Which to use
“tape” and “tip” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #3,398
- “tape” frequency rank
- #2,767
- “tip” frequency rank
- 6165
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | tape | tip |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Flexible material in a roll with a sticky surface on one or both sides; adhesive tape. | The extreme end of something, especially when pointed; e.g. the sharp end of a pencil. |
Where the eye mixes tape and tip
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: tape vs tip
A purely visual mix-up. tape (/teɪ̯p/) and tip (/tɪp/) 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 6165, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
tape is recorded at frequency rank #3,398, classified as anoun, pronounced /teɪ̯p/. tip is at rank #2,767, tagged as anoun, pronounced /tɪp/.
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 6165, this pair ranks #512,481 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of tape vs tip
Shared letters: pt. Private to "tape": ae. Private to "tip": i.
"tape" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "tip" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- tape ← atpe · taep · tappe · tpae · ttape
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "tape" for "tip" ever safe?
Frequency check: "tape" vs "tip" - which ranks higher?
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 "tape" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "tip" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #512,481 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "tape" and "tip" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Taf vs tape". 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 #512,481 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.