KoivsKönigWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#46,782
“Koi” frequency rank
#816
“König” frequency rank
47598
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Koi König
Definition japanische Zuchtform des Karpfens höchster oder historisch hoher (nach dem Kaiser) monarchischer Würdenträger eines Staates, eines Königreiches; Namensbestandteil von Titelbezeichnungen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Koi and König apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

3 ch
Koi
5 ch
König

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Koi ([kɔɪ̯]) and König ([ˈkøːnɪç]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 47598, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Koi is recorded at frequency rank #46,782, classified as anoun, pronounced [kɔɪ̯]. König is at rank #816, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈkøːnɪç].

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 47598, this pair ranks #1,278,742 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Koi vs König

Shared letters: ik. Private to "Koi": o. Private to "König": gnö.

"Koi" · 3 letters · shape CVV  ·  "König" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC

Frequency comparison

Koi#46,782
König#816

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Koi" and "König" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([kɔɪ̯] versus [ˈkøːnɪç]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Koi" or "König"?
"König" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #816 in our German list, against #46,782 for "Koi". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering Koi vs König

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “Koi” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list