apes

/eɪps/

//eɪps// noun

"apes" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“apes” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #15,951) as a noun. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#15,951
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
4
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - plural of ape

Corpus desk

Index EN-apes · apes · English

apes · rank #15,951 · 4 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #15,951
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-LOW 4 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH ANC

Nearest frequency peer: ANC (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Frequency neighbours of confusable “apes”

Peers at similar corpus weight, separate from look-alike pairs below

corpus weight

What this shows Bars place “apes” against nearest ranked English headwords, not a reprint of the confusable-pair desk.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

apes vs as
50% similar
apes vs are
50% similar
apes vs ass
50% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for apes
PropertyValue
Headwordapes
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/eɪps/
Letters4
Frequency rank#15,951
Misspellings tracked4
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Corpus rank beside confusables of “apes”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).apeslands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “ANC” (#15,950), “arches” (#15,952), “amplifier” (#15,949). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “apes” is #15,951. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for apes is neighbouring look-alikes ("as", "are", …), not just typos; it is anoun pronounced /eɪps/. Frequency #15,951 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Gloss: "plural of ape".

Our generated misspelling index lists 4 likely wrong-spelling variants for apes, with forms such as "aeps", "apess", and "appes". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "as", "are", "ass", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct English form is apes, spelled A-P-E-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    plural of ape

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • aeps
  • apess
  • appes
  • apse

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of apes - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

aeps2apess1appes1apse2
Edit distance from "apes"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "apes"?
"apes" is spelled A-P-E-S. The IPA pronunciation is /eɪps/.
What does "apes" mean?
As a noun, "apes" means: plural of ape
What words are commonly confused with "apes"?
"apes" is commonly confused with "as", "are", "ass". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "apes"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "apes" is /eɪps/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "apes" come from?
"apes" is a English word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "apes", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list