KochvsKorbWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#2,902
“Koch” frequency rank
#9,053
“Korb” frequency rank
11955
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Koch Korb
Definition Berufsbezeichnung für eine (männliche^☆) Person, die Speisen zubereitet oben offener, geflochtener Behälter

Where the eye mixes Koch and Korb

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

4 ch
Koch
4 ch
Korb

Why the eye confuses Koch with Korb

A purely visual mix-up. Koch ([kɔx]) and Korb ([kɔʁp]) 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 11955, 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]. Korb is at rank #9,053, tagged as anoun, pronounced [kɔʁp].

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 11955, this pair ranks #1,967,006 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Koch vs Korb

Shared letters: ko. Private to "Koch": ch. Private to "Korb": br.

"Koch" · 4 letters · shape CVCC  ·  "Korb" · 4 letters · shape CVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Kochkcoh · kkoch · kocch · kochh · kohc · okch
  • Korbkkorb · kobr · korbb · korrb · krob · okrb

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Koch" and "Korb" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([kɔx] versus [kɔʁp]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Koch" or "Korb"?
"Koch" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,902 in our German list, against #9,053 for "Korb". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Koch" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Korb" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,967,006 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Koch" and "Korb" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "kola vs Korb". 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 #1,967,006 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