Which to use
“Blei” and “boi” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #11,614
- “Blei” frequency rank
- #40,444
- “boi” frequency rank
- 52058
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Blei | boi |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | silbernes, leicht verformbares, toxisch wirkendes Metall | der Ochse |
Where the eye mixes Blei and boi
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence. Blei runs 4 letters (CCVV) against boi's 3 (CVV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses Blei with boi
A purely visual mix-up. Blei ([blaɪ̯]) and boi ([boj]) 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 52058, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Blei is recorded at frequency rank #11,614, classified as anoun, pronounced [blaɪ̯]. boi is at rank #40,444, tagged as anoun, pronounced [boj].
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 52058, this pair ranks #1,111,564 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Blei vs boi
Shared letters: bi. Private to "Blei": el. Private to "boi": o.
"Blei" · 4 letters · shape CCVV · "boi" · 3 letters · shape CVV
Known mistypes of this pair
- Blei ← bblei · beli · blie · bllei · lbei
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Blei" for "boi" ever safe?
Which is more common, "Blei" or "boi"?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "Blei" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "boi" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,111,564 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Blei" and "boi" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "bic vs boi". 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 #1,111,564 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.