Which to use
“coll” and “cook” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #42,406
- “coll” frequency rank
- #15,594
- “cook” frequency rank
- 58000
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | coll | cook |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | der Hals, das Genick | Koch, Köchin |
Where the eye mixes coll and cook
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses coll with cook
A purely visual mix-up. coll ([kɔʎ]) and cook ([kʊk]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 58000, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
coll is recorded at frequency rank #42,406, classified as anoun, pronounced [kɔʎ]. cook is at rank #15,594, tagged as anoun, pronounced [kʊk].
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 58000, this pair ranks #879,517 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of coll vs cook
Shared letters: co. Private to "coll": l. Private to "cook": k.
"coll" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "cook" · 4 letters · shape CVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "coll" for "cook" ever safe?
Frequency check: "coll" vs "cook" - which ranks higher?
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 "coll" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "cook" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #879,517 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "coll" and "cook" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Cali vs coll". 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 #879,517 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.