Which to use
“tho” is an article and “top” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #3,588
- “tho” frequency rank
- #244
- “top” frequency rank
- 3832
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | tho | top |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | The (plural form); those. | The highest or uppermost part of something. |
Where the eye mixes tho and top
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: tho vs top
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: tho is /ðəʊ/ while top is /tɒp/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (article vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 3832, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
tho is recorded at frequency rank #3,588, classified as anarticle, pronounced /ðəʊ/. top is at rank #244, tagged as anoun, pronounced /tɒp/.
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 3832, this pair ranks #520,856 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of tho vs top
Shared letters: ot. Private to "tho": h. Private to "top": p.
"tho" · 3 letters · shape CCV · "top" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "tho" and "top" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "tho" or "top"?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "tho" and "top" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "tho" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "top" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #520,856 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "tho" and "top" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Taf vs tho". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #520,856 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.