Which to use
“Kölns” is a noun and “kos” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #37,638
- “Kölns” frequency rank
- #36,463
- “kos” frequency rank
- 74101
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Kölns | kos |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Genitiv Singular des Substantivs Köln | 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs kosen |
Where the eye mixes Kölns and kos
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence. Kölns runs 5 letters (CVCCC) against kos's 3 (CVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: Kölns vs kos
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Kölns is [kœlns] while kos is [koːs]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 74101, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Kölns is recorded at frequency rank #37,638, classified as anoun, pronounced [kœlns]. 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 74101, this pair ranks #342,366 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of Kölns vs kos
Shared letters: ks. Private to "Kölns": lnö. Private to "kos": o.
"Kölns" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC · "kos" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Kölns" for "kos" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "Kölns" or "kos" show up more?
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 "Kölns" 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 #342,366 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Kölns" and "kos" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Kölle vs Kölns". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #342,366 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.