Which to use
“yellow” is a noun and “yellows” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #2,097
- “yellow” frequency rank
- #32,659
- “yellows” frequency rank
- 34756
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | yellow | yellows |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | The color of sunflower petals and lemons; the color obtained by mixing green and red light, or by subtracting blue from white light; the color evoked by light of wavelength around 580 nm; one of the three primary colors in subtractive color systems. | third-person singular simple present indicative of yellow |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set yellow and yellows apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: yellow is anoun and yellowsaverb. On the page they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “yellow” sits inside “yellows”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 34756, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
yellow is recorded at frequency rank #2,097, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈjɛl.əʊ/. yellows is at rank #32,659, tagged as averb.
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 34756, this pair ranks #317,998 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of yellow vs yellows
Shared letters: elowy. Private to "yellow": -. Private to "yellows": s.
"yellow" · 6 letters · shape VVCCVC · "yellows" · 7 letters · shape VVCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "yellow" and "yellows" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "yellow" or "yellows"?
Remembering yellow vs yellows
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “yellow”; for a verb, it's “yellows”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “yellow” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable