Which to use
“bic” and “bins” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #49,525
- “bic” frequency rank
- #31,472
- “bins” frequency rank
- 80997
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | bic | bins |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Kugelschreiber | Plural des Substantivs bin |
Where the eye mixes bic and bins
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence. bic runs 3 letters (CVC) against bins's 4 (CVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses bic with bins
A purely visual mix-up. bic ([bik]) and bins ([bɪnz]) 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 80997, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
bic is recorded at frequency rank #49,525, classified as anoun, pronounced [bik]. bins is at rank #31,472, tagged as anoun, pronounced [bɪnz].
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 80997, this pair ranks #184,386 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of bic vs bins
Shared letters: bi. Private to "bic": c. Private to "bins": ns.
"bic" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "bins" · 4 letters · shape CVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- bins ← bbins · binns · binss · bisn · bnis · ibns
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "bic" and "bins" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "bic" or "bins"?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "bic" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "bins" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #184,386 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "bic" and "bins" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "bic vs Bims". 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 #184,386 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.