Which to use
“skill” is a verb and “skills” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #39,041
- “skill” frequency rank
- #33,013
- “skills” frequency rank
- 72054
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | skill | skills |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Séparer, diviser. | Pluriel de skill. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set skill and skills apart are highlighted. They share 5 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: skill is \ˈskɪl\ while skills is \ˈskɪlz\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “skill” sits inside “skills”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 72054, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
skill is recorded at frequency rank #39,041, classified as averb, pronounced \ˈskɪl\. skills is at rank #33,013, tagged as anoun, pronounced \ˈskɪlz\.
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 72054, this pair ranks #45,392 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of skill vs skills
Shared letters: ikls. Private to "skill": -. Private to "skills": -.
"skill" · 5 letters · shape CCVCC · "skills" · 6 letters · shape CCVCCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "skill" and "skills" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "skill" or "skills"?
Remembering skill vs skills
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “skill”; for a noun, it's “skills”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “skill” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable