Which to use
“genes” is a noun and “goes” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #9,831
- “genes” frequency rank
- #32,232
- “goes” frequency rank
- 42063
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | genes | goes |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Forma del plural de gen. | Tercera persona del singular (he, she, it) del presente simple del verbo (to) go. |
Where the eye mixes genes and goes
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. genes runs 5 letters (CVCVC) against goes's 4 (CVVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses genes with goes
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: genes is [ˈxenes] while goes is /ɡəʊz/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 42063, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
genes is recorded at frequency rank #9,831, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈxenes]. goes is at rank #32,232, tagged as averb, pronounced /ɡəʊz/.
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 42063, this pair ranks #150,296 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of genes vs goes
Shared letters: egs. Private to "genes": n. Private to "goes": o.
"genes" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "goes" · 4 letters · shape CVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "genes" for "goes" ever safe?
Which is more common, "genes" or "goes"?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "genes" and "goes" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "genes" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "goes" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #150,296 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "genes" and "goes" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "goes vs Goyo". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #150,296 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.