Which to use
“tops” is an adverb and “tor” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #6,425
- “tops” frequency rank
- #13,625
- “tor” frequency rank
- 20050
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | tops | tor |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | At the very most; as a maximum. | A craggy outcrop of rock on the summit of a hill, created by the erosion and weathering of rock. |
Where the eye mixes tops and tor
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses tops with tor
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: tops is /tɒps/ while tor is /tɔː/. 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 (adverb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 20050, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
tops is recorded at frequency rank #6,425, classified as anadv, pronounced /tɒps/. tor is at rank #13,625, tagged as anoun, pronounced /tɔː/.
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 20050, this pair ranks #433,826 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of tops vs tor
Shared letters: ot. Private to "tops": ps. Private to "tor": r.
"tops" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "tor" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- tops ← otps · topps · topss · tosp · tpos · ttops
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "tops" for "tor" ever safe?
In ordinary English text, does "tops" or "tor" show up more?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "tops" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "tor" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #433,826 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "tops" and "tor" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Taf vs tor". 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 #433,826 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.