KochvskomConfusable pair

Quick tell: Koch is a noun, kom is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“Koch” is a noun and “kom” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#2,902
“Koch” frequency rank
#26,482
“kom” frequency rank
29384
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Koch kom
Definition Berufsbezeichnung für eine (männliche^☆) Person, die Speisen zubereitet Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs komme

Where the eye mixes Koch and kom

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.

4 ch
Koch
3 ch
kom

Visual trap between Koch and kom

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Koch is [kɔx] while kom is [ˈɡ̊ʰʌmˀ]. 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 (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 29384, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Koch is recorded at frequency rank #2,902, classified as anoun, pronounced [kɔx]. kom is at rank #26,482, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈɡ̊ʰʌmˀ].

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 29384, this pair ranks #1,767,780 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Koch vs kom

Shared letters: ko. Private to "Koch": ch. Private to "kom": m.

"Koch" · 4 letters · shape CVCC  ·  "kom" · 3 letters · shape CVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Kochkcoh · kkoch · kocch · kochh · kohc · okch

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Koch" and "kom" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "Koch" is a noun and "kom" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "Koch" or "kom"?
"Koch" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,902 in our German list, against #26,482 for "kom". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

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 "Koch" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "kom" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,767,780 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Koch" and "kom" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "kola vs kom". 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 #1,767,780 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list