Which to use
“shows” is a noun and “slow” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #11,135
- “shows” frequency rank
- #30,254
- “slow” frequency rank
- 41389
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | shows | slow |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Forma del plural de show ('espectáculos'). | Lento. |
Where the eye mixes shows and slow
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: shows vs slow
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: shows is /ʃəʊz/ while slow is /sləʊ/. 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 adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 41389, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
shows is recorded at frequency rank #11,135, classified as anoun, pronounced /ʃəʊz/. slow is at rank #30,254, tagged as anadj, pronounced /sləʊ/.
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 41389, this pair ranks #153,920 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of shows vs slow
Shared letters: osw. Private to "shows": h. Private to "slow": l.
"shows" · 5 letters · shape CCVCC · "slow" · 4 letters · shape CCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "shows" and "slow" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "shows" vs "slow" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "shows" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "slow" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #153,920 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "shows" and "slow" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "slow vs snob". 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 #153,920 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.