Which to use
“wipe” and “wove” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #7,086
- “wipe” frequency rank
- #49,728
- “wove” frequency rank
- 56814
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | wipe | wove |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | To move an object over, maintaining contact, with the intention of removing some substance from the surface. (Compare rub.) | simple past of weave |
Where the eye mixes wipe and wove
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. wipe (/waɪp/) and wove (/wəʊv/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 56814, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
wipe is recorded at frequency rank #7,086, classified as averb, pronounced /waɪp/. wove is at rank #49,728, tagged as averb, pronounced /wəʊv/.
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 56814, this pair ranks #123,550 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of wipe vs wove
Shared letters: ew. Private to "wipe": ip. Private to "wove": ov.
"wipe" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "wove" · 4 letters · shape CVCV