Which to use
“Karo” and “Kork” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #31,635
- “Karo” frequency rank
- #43,297
- “Kork” frequency rank
- 74932
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Karo | Kork |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | eine der vier Farben (=Symbole) des französischen Kartenspielblatts | 2,5 bis 20 cm dicke Rinde der Korkeiche (quercus suber), aus lückenlos aneinander schließenden Zellen, die für Flüssigkeiten und Gase schwer durchlässig sind |
Where the eye mixes Karo and Kork
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence. Karo (CVCV) and Kork (CVCC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Visual trap between Karo and Kork
A purely visual mix-up. Karo ([ˈkaːʁo]) and Kork ([kɔʁk]) 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 74932, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Karo is recorded at frequency rank #31,635, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈkaːʁo]. Kork is at rank #43,297, tagged as anoun, pronounced [kɔʁk].
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 74932, this pair ranks #320,702 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of Karo vs Kork
Shared letters: kor. Private to "Karo": a. Private to "Kork": -.
"Karo" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "Kork" · 4 letters · shape CVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Karo" for "Kork" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "Karo" or "Kork" show up more?
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 "Karo" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Kork" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #320,702 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Karo" and "Kork" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "kola vs Kork". 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 #320,702 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.