kinkvskioskWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: kink is a verb, kiosk is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“kink” is a verb and “kiosk” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#22,132
“kink” frequency rank
#28,969
“kiosk” frequency rank
51101
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature kink kiosk
Definition To laugh loudly. A small enclosed structure, often freestanding, open on one side or with a window, used as a booth to sell newspapers, cigarettes, etc.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set kink and kiosk apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
kink
5 ch
kiosk

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: kink is /ˈkɪŋk/ while kiosk is /ˈkiːˌɒsk/. 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 (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 51101, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

kink is recorded at frequency rank #22,132, classified as averb, pronounced /ˈkɪŋk/. kiosk is at rank #28,969, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈkiːˌɒsk/.

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 51101, this pair ranks #168,367 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of kink vs kiosk

Shared letters: ik. Private to "kink": n. Private to "kiosk": os.

"kink" · 4 letters · shape CVCC  ·  "kiosk" · 5 letters · shape CVVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • kinkiknk · kikn · kinkk · kinnk · kkink · knik
  • kioskikosk · kioks · kioskk · kiossk · kisok · kkiosk · koisk

Frequency comparison

kink#22,132
kiosk#28,969

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "kink" and "kiosk" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "kink" is a verb and "kiosk" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "kink" or "kiosk"?
"kink" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #22,132 in our English list, against #28,969 for "kiosk". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering kink vs kiosk

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “kink”; for a noun, it's “kiosk”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “kink” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list