KochvsKorkConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#2,902
“Koch” frequency rank
#43,297
“Kork” frequency rank
46199
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Koch Kork
Definition Berufsbezeichnung für eine (männliche^☆) Person, die Speisen zubereitet 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 Koch and Kork

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence. Koch and Kork follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.

4 ch
Koch
4 ch
Kork

Why the eye confuses Koch with Kork

A purely visual mix-up. Koch ([kɔx]) 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 46199, 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]. 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 46199, this pair ranks #1,327,167 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Koch vs Kork

Shared letters: ko. Private to "Koch": ch. Private to "Kork": r.

"Koch" · 4 letters · shape CVCC  ·  "Kork" · 4 letters · shape CVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Koch ← kcoh · kkoch · kocch · kochh · kohc · okch
  • Kork ← kkork · kokr · korkk · korrk · krok · okrk

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Koch" and "Kork" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([kɔx] versus [kɔʁk]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "Koch" vs "Kork" - which ranks higher?
"Koch" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,902 in our German list, against #43,297 for "Kork". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

What to do next

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 "Kork" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,327,167 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Koch" 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 #1,327,167 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