WilesvsWilkesWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“Wiles” and “Wilkes” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#41,472
“Wiles” frequency rank
#20,544
“Wilkes” frequency rank
62016
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Wiles Wilkes
Definition A surname transferred from the nickname. A patronymic form of Wile. A surname originating as a patronymic.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Wiles and Wilkes apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
Wiles
6 ch
Wilkes

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

Wiles and Wilkes 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 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 62016, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Wiles is recorded at frequency rank #41,472, classified as aname. Wilkes is at rank #20,544, tagged as aname, pronounced /wɪlkiːs/.

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 62016, this pair ranks #90,856 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of Wiles vs Wilkes

Shared letters: eilsw. Private to "Wiles": -. Private to "Wilkes": k.

"Wiles" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "Wilkes" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Wilesiwles · wiels · wiless · willes · wilse · wlies · wwiles
  • Wilkesiwlkes · wikles · wileks · wilkess · wilkkes · wilkse · willkes · wlikes

Frequency comparison

Wiles#41,472
Wilkes#20,544

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Wiles" and "Wilkes" be used interchangeably?
No. They differ by 1 letter(s) in length, but the dictionary glosses above give them different meanings, so swapping one for the other changes what the sentence says.
Which is more common, "Wiles" or "Wilkes"?
"Wilkes" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #20,544 in our English list, against #41,472 for "Wiles". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Wiles vs Wilkes

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 “Wiles” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list