Which to use
“virtue” and “virtues” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #7,872
- “virtue” frequency rank
- #15,546
- “virtues” frequency rank
- 23418
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | virtue | virtues |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | (uncountable) The idea of all that is good or excellent (in every sense of those terms) in a human being, collectively instantiated by a varying number of human traits known as "the virtues", the enumeration of which vary by the many virtue systems which have developed within different cultures, religions, and historical periods. | plural of virtue |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set virtue and virtues apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. virtue (/ˈvɜːt͡ʃuː/) and virtues (/ˈvəː.t͡ʃuːs/) 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 extra letter(s) - “virtue” sits inside “virtues”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 23418, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
virtue is recorded at frequency rank #7,872, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈvɜːt͡ʃuː/. virtues is at rank #15,546, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈvəː.t͡ʃuːs/.
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 23418, this pair ranks #409,414 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of virtue vs virtues
Shared letters: eirtuv. Private to "virtue": -. Private to "virtues": s.
"virtue" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVV · "virtues" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "virtue" and "virtues" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "virtue" or "virtues"?
Remembering virtue vs virtues
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 “virtue” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable