Which to use
“codex” is a noun and “convex” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #22,932
- “codex” frequency rank
- #20,597
- “convex” frequency rank
- 43529
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | codex | convex |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | An early manuscript book. | Curved or bowed outward like the outside of a bowl, circle, or sphere. |
Where the eye mixes codex and convex
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses codex with convex
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: codex is /ˈkəʊdɛks/ while convex is /ˈkɒn.vɛks/. 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 (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 43529, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
codex is recorded at frequency rank #22,932, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈkəʊdɛks/. convex is at rank #20,597, tagged as anadj, pronounced /ˈkɒn.vɛks/.
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 43529, this pair ranks #239,161 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of codex vs convex
Shared letters: ceox. Private to "codex": d. Private to "convex": nv.
"codex" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "convex" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "codex" and "convex" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary English text, does "codex" or "convex" 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 "codex" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "convex" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #239,161 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "codex" and "convex" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "codex vs cower". 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 #239,161 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.