Which to use
“kos” is a verb and “Kurs” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #36,463
- “kos” frequency rank
- #1,894
- “Kurs” frequency rank
- 38357
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | kos | Kurs |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs kosen | eine eingeschlagene, vorgeschriebene oder aufgezeichnete Richtung einer Person, eines Fahrzeuges, eines Flugzeugs oder eines Schiffes |
Where the eye mixes kos and Kurs
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses kos with Kurs
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: kos is [koːs] while Kurs is [kʊʁs]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 38357, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
kos is recorded at frequency rank #36,463, classified as averb, pronounced [koːs]. Kurs is at rank #1,894, tagged as anoun, pronounced [kʊʁs].
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 38357, this pair ranks #1,566,086 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of kos vs Kurs
Shared letters: ks. Private to "kos": o. Private to "Kurs": ru.
"kos" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "Kurs" · 4 letters · shape CVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- Kurs ← kkurs · krus · kurrs · kurss · kusr · ukrs
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "kos" and "Kurs" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "kos" vs "Kurs" - which ranks higher?
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 "kos" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Kurs" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,566,086 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "kos" and "Kurs" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "kola vs kos". 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 #1,566,086 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.