Which to use
“Koi” is a noun and “kos” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #46,782
- “Koi” frequency rank
- #36,463
- “kos” frequency rank
- 83245
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Koi | kos |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | japanische Zuchtform des Karpfens | 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs kosen |
Where the eye mixes Koi and kos
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between Koi and kos
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Koi is [kɔɪ̯] while kos is [koːs]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - i in “Koi” becomes s in “kos”, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 83245, 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]. kos is at rank #36,463, tagged as averb, pronounced [koːs].
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 83245, this pair ranks #143,153 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of Koi vs kos
Shared letters: ko. Private to "Koi": i. Private to "kos": s.
"Koi" · 3 letters · shape CVV · "kos" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Koi" for "kos" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "Koi" or "kos" show up more?
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 "kos" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #143,153 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Koi" and "kos" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Koi vs kola". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #143,153 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.