topicsvstoriesWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“topics” and “tories” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#40,536
“topics” frequency rank
#48,834
“tories” frequency rank
89370
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature topics tories
Definition Pluriel de topic. Pluriel de tory.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set topics and tories apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
topics
6 ch
tories

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. topics (\tɔ.pik\) and tories (\tɔ.ʁi\) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 89370, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

topics is recorded at frequency rank #40,536, classified as anoun, pronounced \tɔ.pik\. tories is at rank #48,834, tagged as anoun, pronounced \tɔ.ʁi\.

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 89370, this pair ranks #5,873 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of topics vs tories

Shared letters: iost. Private to "topics": cp. Private to "tories": er.

"topics" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCC  ·  "tories" · 6 letters · shape CVCVVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • topicsotpics · toipcs · topcis · topiccs · topicss · topisc · toppics · tpoics
  • toriestoires · toreis · toriess · torise · torries · troies · ttories

Frequency comparison

topics#40,536
tories#48,834

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "topics" and "tories" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\tɔ.pik\ versus \tɔ.ʁi\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "topics" or "tories"?
"topics" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #40,536 in our French list, against #48,834 for "tories". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering topics vs tories

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “topics” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list