Which to use
“noir” and “nox” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #23,251
- “noir” frequency rank
- #46,886
- “nox” frequency rank
- 70137
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | noir | nox |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | schwarze Farbe | die Nacht |
Where the eye mixes noir and nox
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence. noir runs 4 letters (CVVC) against nox's 3 (CVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: noir vs nox
A purely visual mix-up. noir ([nwaːR]) and nox ([nɔks]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 70137, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
noir is recorded at frequency rank #23,251, classified as anoun, pronounced [nwaːR]. 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 70137, this pair ranks #455,404 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of noir vs nox
Shared letters: no. Private to "noir": ir. Private to "nox": x.
"noir" · 4 letters · shape CVVC · "nox" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- noir ← nior · nnoir · noirr · nori · onir
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "noir" for "nox" ever safe?
Which is more common, "noir" or "nox"?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "noir" 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 #455,404 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "noir" and "nox" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "node vs nox". 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 #455,404 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.