keyvsKoiWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“key” and “Koi” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#8,577
“key” frequency rank
#46,782
“Koi” frequency rank
55359
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature key Koi
Definition Schlüssel japanische Zuchtform des Karpfens

Where the eye mixes key and Koi

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.

3 ch
key
3 ch
Koi

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. key ([kiː]) and Koi ([kɔɪ̯]) 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 55359, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

key is recorded at frequency rank #8,577, classified as anoun, pronounced [kiː]. Koi is at rank #46,782, tagged as anoun, pronounced [kɔɪ̯].

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 55359, this pair ranks #982,677 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of key vs Koi

Shared letters: k. Private to "key": ey. Private to "Koi": io.

"key" · 3 letters · shape CVV  ·  "Koi" · 3 letters · shape CVV

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "key" and "Koi" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([kiː] versus [kɔɪ̯]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "key" or "Koi"?
"key" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #8,577 in our German list, against #46,782 for "Koi". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

You've compared "key" and "Koi". Here's where to go from here.

  • Full dictionary entry for "key" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Koi" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #982,677 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "key" and "Koi" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Koi vs kola". Nearby pair

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list