Which to use
“coin” and “cox” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #5,201
- “coin” frequency rank
- #7,783
- “cox” frequency rank
- 12984
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | coin | cox |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A piece of currency, usually metallic and in the shape of a disc, but sometimes polygonal, or with a hole in the middle. | A coxswain of a boat, especially of a racing crew. |
Where the eye mixes coin and cox
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses coin with cox
A purely visual mix-up. coin (/kɔɪn/) and cox (/kɒks/) 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 12984, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
coin is recorded at frequency rank #5,201, classified as anoun, pronounced /kɔɪn/. cox is at rank #7,783, tagged as anoun, pronounced /kɒks/.
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 12984, this pair ranks #478,388 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of coin vs cox
Shared letters: co. Private to "coin": in. Private to "cox": x.
"coin" · 4 letters · shape CVVC · "cox" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- coin ← ccoin · cion · coinn · coni · ocin
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "coin" for "cox" ever safe?
Which is more common, "coin" or "cox"?
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 "coin" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "cox" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #478,388 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "coin" and "cox" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "CGT vs cox". 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 #478,388 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.