mode vs Moles, What's the Difference?

Which to use

“mode” is a noun and “Moles” is a name - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#21,074
“mode” frequency rank: #44,873
“Moles” frequency rank: 65947
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	mode	Moles
Definition	Modo, estilo.	Apellido.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set mode and Moles apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch

mode

5 ch

Moles

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: mode is /məʊd/ while Moles is [ˈmoles]. 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 name), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 65947, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

mode is recorded at frequency rank #21,074, classified as anoun, pronounced /məʊd/. Moles is at rank #44,873, tagged as aname, pronounced [ˈmoles].

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 65947, this pair ranks #41,197 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of mode vs Moles

Shared letters: emo. Private to "mode": d. Private to "Moles": ls.

"mode" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "Moles" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

mode ← mdoe · mmode · modde · moed · omde
Moles ← mloes · mmoles · moels · moless · molles · molse · omles

Frequency comparison

mode#21,074

Moles#44,873

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "mode" and "Moles" be used interchangeably?

No - they are not even the same part of speech. "mode" is a noun and "Moles" a name, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.

Which is more common, "mode" or "Moles"?

"mode" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #21,074 in our Spanish list, against #44,873 for "Moles". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering mode vs Moles

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “mode”; for a name, it's “Moles”.
See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “mode” entry
Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable