Which to use
“yes” is a particle and “yikes” is an intj - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #301
- “yes” frequency rank
- #16,393
- “yikes” frequency rank
- 16694
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | yes | yikes |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Used to show agreement or acceptance. | Expression of shock and alarm. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set yes and yikes apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: yes is /jɛs/ while yikes is /jaɪks/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (particle vs intj), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 16694, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
yes is recorded at frequency rank #301, classified as aparticle, pronounced /jɛs/. yikes is at rank #16,393, tagged as anintj, pronounced /jaɪks/.
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 16694, this pair ranks #456,134 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of yes vs yikes
Shared letters: esy. Private to "yes": -. Private to "yikes": ik.
"yes" · 3 letters · shape VVC · "yikes" · 5 letters · shape VVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- yikes ← iykes · yieks · yikess · yikkes · yikse · ykies · yyikes
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "yes" and "yikes" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "yes" or "yikes"?
Remembering yes vs yikes
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a particle, it's “yes”; for an intj, it's “yikes”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “yes” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable