# coli vs coy

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### coli
*noun · IPA /ˈkoʊ.laɪ/ · frequency rank #20,590*
Escherichia coli, a Gram-negative bacterium commonly found in the lower intestine of warm-blooded organisms.

### coy
*adjective · IPA /kɔɪ/ · frequency rank #25,336*
Bashful, shy, retiring.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/vs/coli-vs-coy