Which to use
“arch” and “ark” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #23,829
- “arch” frequency rank
- #36,793
- “ark” frequency rank
- 60622
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | arch | ark |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Bogen | eine große Kiste mit einem flachen Deckel |
Where the eye mixes arch and ark
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between arch and ark
A purely visual mix-up. arch ([ɑːtʃ]) and ark ([ɑːk]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 60622, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
arch is recorded at frequency rank #23,829, classified as anoun, pronounced [ɑːtʃ]. ark is at rank #36,793, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ɑːk].
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 60622, this pair ranks #780,125 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of arch vs ark
Shared letters: ar. Private to "arch": ch. Private to "ark": k.
"arch" · 4 letters · shape VCCC · "ark" · 3 letters · shape VCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- arch ← acrh · arcch · archh · arhc · arrch · rach
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "arch" and "ark" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "arch" or "ark" show up more?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "arch" and "ark" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "arch" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "ark" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #780,125 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "arch" and "ark" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ark vs AUD". 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 #780,125 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.