Which to use
“word” and “works” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #555
- “word” frequency rank
- #522
- “works” frequency rank
- 1077
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | word | works |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | The smallest unit of language that has a particular meaning and can be expressed by itself; the smallest discrete, meaningful unit of language. (contrast morpheme.) | plural of work in its countable senses |
Where the eye mixes word and works
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. word (/wɜːd/) and works (/wɜːks/) 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 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 1077, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
word is recorded at frequency rank #555, classified as anoun, pronounced /wɜːd/. works is at rank #522, tagged as anoun, pronounced /wɜːks/.
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 1077, this pair ranks #528,153 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of word vs works
Shared letters: orw. Private to "word": d. Private to "works": ks.
"word" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "works" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC