Which to use
“cards” is an unknown and “cord” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #21,563
- “cards” frequency rank
- #36,862
- “cord” frequency rank
- 58425
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | cards | cord |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Plural von card | längliches aus etwas zusammengedrehtes Ding, das beispielsweise als Gürtel getragen wird |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set cards and cord apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: cards is [kɑːds] while cord is [kɔː(r)d]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (unknown vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 58425, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
cards is recorded at frequency rank #21,563, classified as anunknown, pronounced [kɑːds]. cord is at rank #36,862, tagged as anoun, pronounced [kɔː(r)d].
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 58425, this pair ranks #863,226 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of cards vs cord
Shared letters: cdr. Private to "cards": as. Private to "cord": o.
"cards" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC · "cord" · 4 letters · shape CVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "cards" and "cord" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "cards" or "cord"?
Remembering cards vs cord
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an unknown, it's “cards”; for a noun, it's “cord”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “cards” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable