Which to use
“Box” and “boys” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #3,642
- “Box” frequency rank
- #7,299
- “boys” frequency rank
- 10941
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Box | boys |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Behältnis, Verpackung, meistens in der Form eines Quaders | Plural des Substantivs boy |
Where the eye mixes Box and boys
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses Box with boys
A purely visual mix-up. Box ([bɔks]) and boys ([bɔɪz]) 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 10941, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Box is recorded at frequency rank #3,642, classified as anoun, pronounced [bɔks]. boys is at rank #7,299, tagged as anoun, pronounced [bɔɪz].
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 10941, this pair ranks #1,972,533 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Box vs boys
Shared letters: bo. Private to "Box": x. Private to "boys": sy.
"Box" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "boys" · 4 letters · shape CVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- boys ← bboys · bosy · boyss · boyys · byos · obys
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Box" for "boys" ever safe?
Frequency check: "Box" vs "boys" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "Box" and "boys" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "Box" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "boys" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,972,533 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Box" and "boys" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Bims vs boys". 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 #1,972,533 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.