KoivsKorWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#46,782
“Koi” frequency rank
#32,131
“Kor” frequency rank
78913
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Koi Kor
Definition japanische Zuchtform des Karpfens in der Bibel vorkommendes Hohlmaß: 1 Kor = 10 Bat = ca. 400 l

Where the eye mixes Koi and Kor

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence. Koi (CVV) and Kor (CVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.

3 ch
Koi
3 ch
Kor

Why the eye confuses Koi with Kor

A purely visual mix-up. Koi ([kɔɪ̯]) and Kor ([koːɐ̯]) 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 a single letter - i in “Koi” becomes r in “Kor”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 78913, 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]. Kor is at rank #32,131, tagged as anoun, pronounced [koːɐ̯].

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 78913, this pair ranks #227,782 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of Koi vs Kor

Shared letters: ko. Private to "Koi": i. Private to "Kor": r.

"Koi" · 3 letters · shape CVV  ·  "Kor" · 3 letters · shape CVC

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "Koi" for "Kor" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([kɔɪ̯] versus [koːɐ̯]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "Koi" vs "Kor" - which ranks higher?
"Kor" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #32,131 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.

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 "Koi" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Kor" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #227,782 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Koi" and "Kor" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Koi vs kola". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #227,782 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