Which to use
“ng” is a character and “nox” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #17,663
- “ng” frequency rank
- #46,886
- “nox” frequency rank
- 64549
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ng | nox |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | zwanzigster Buchstabe des Shona-Alphabets (Minuskel) | die Nacht |
Where the eye mixes ng and nox
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Visual trap between ng and nox
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: ng is [ŋ] while nox is [nɔks]. 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 (character vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 64549, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ng is recorded at frequency rank #17,663, classified as acharacter, pronounced [ŋ]. nox is at rank #46,886, tagged as anoun, pronounced [nɔks].
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 64549, this pair ranks #637,522 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of ng vs nox
Shared letters: n. Private to "ng": g. Private to "nox": ox.
"ng" · 2 letters · shape CC · "nox" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "ng" and "nox" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary German text, does "ng" or "nox" 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 "ng" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "nox" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #637,522 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ng" and "nox" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "node vs nox". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #637,522 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.