Which to use
“violin” and “violins” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #10,634
- “violin” frequency rank
- #31,821
- “violins” frequency rank
- 42455
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | violin | violins |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A small unfretted stringed instrument with four strings tuned (lowest to highest) G-D-A-E, usually held against the chin and played with a bow. | plural of violin |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set violin and violins apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
violin and violins are indexed as a confusable English pair. We have no recorded pronunciation or part of speech for both members, so the spelling overlap is what we can show you: they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “violin” sits inside “violins”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 42455, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
violin is recorded at frequency rank #10,634, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˌvaɪ.əˈlɪn/. violins is at rank #31,821, tagged as anoun.
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 42455, this pair ranks #249,041 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of violin vs violins
Shared letters: ilnov. Private to "violin": -. Private to "violins": s.
"violin" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC · "violins" · 7 letters · shape CVVCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "violin" and "violins" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "violin" or "violins"?
Remembering violin vs violins
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “violin” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable