Which to use
“tock” and “TOS” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #39,613
- “tock” frequency rank
- #19,720
- “TOS” frequency rank
- 59333
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | tock | TOS |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A clicking sound similar to one made by the hands of a clock. | Initialism of terms of service. |
Where the eye mixes tock and TOS
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between tock and TOS
A purely visual mix-up. tock (/tɑk/) and TOS (/tiː əʊ ɛs/) 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 59333, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
tock is recorded at frequency rank #39,613, classified as anoun, pronounced /tɑk/. TOS is at rank #19,720, tagged as anoun, pronounced /tiː əʊ ɛs/.
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 59333, this pair ranks #106,857 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of tock vs TOS
Shared letters: ot. Private to "tock": ck. Private to "TOS": s.
"tock" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "TOS" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- tock ← otck · tcok · tocck · tockk · tokc · ttock
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "tock" for "TOS" ever safe?
Frequency check: "tock" vs "TOS" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "tock" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "TOS" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #106,857 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "tock" and "TOS" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "tock vs Toth". 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 #106,857 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.