Which to use
“oni” is a noun and “oui” is an intj - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #36,267
- “oni” frequency rank
- #44,386
- “oui” frequency rank
- 80653
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | oni | oui |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A Japanese evil spirit or demon. | Synonym of yes. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set oni and oui apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: oni is /ˈəʊni/ while oui is /wiː/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - n in “oni” becomes u in “oui”, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs intj), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 80653, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
oni is recorded at frequency rank #36,267, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈəʊni/. oui is at rank #44,386, tagged as anintj, pronounced /wiː/.
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 80653, this pair ranks #19,330 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of oni vs oui
Shared letters: io. Private to "oni": n. Private to "oui": u.
"oni" · 3 letters · shape VCV · "oui" · 3 letters · shape VVV
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "oni" and "oui" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "oni" or "oui"?
Remembering oni vs oui
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “oni”; for an intj, it's “oui”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “oni” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable