ko

Name: ko, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

/ˈkəʊ/

//ˈkəʊ// noun

By PlainSpell · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed September 3, 2026

The verdict

“ko” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #10,717) as a noun. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#10,717
frequency rank, English: 1,236
“K” headwords: 20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A local shape to which the ko rule applies; a ko shape.

Corpus desk

Index EN-ko · ko · English

ko · rank #10,717 · 0 variants · 20 confusables

FREQ-MID #10,717
LEN-SHORT 2 letters
VOW-1 1 vowel
CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
VAR-0 0 variants
BOOK-MID 1,236
PHOTO-FINISH Lambert

Nearest frequency peer: Lambert (+1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

imposing

89,288
inflammation

89,287
ko

89,284
Lambert

89,283
lamps

89,282
lava

89,281

What this shows Bars place “ko” against nearest ranked English headwords, not a reprint of the confusable-pair desk.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

ko vs ky

50% similar

ko vs Ku

0% similar

ko vs KS

0% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for ko
Property	Value
Headword	ko
Language	English
Part of speech	Noun
IPA	/ˈkəʊ/
Letters	2
Frequency rank	#10,717
Misspellings tracked	0
Confusable pairs	20
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Corpus rank beside confusables of “ko”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).kolands here:

#10,717

#1#100#1K#10K#100K

← used constantlyrarely used →

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “Lambert” (#10,718), “lamps” (#10,719), “inflammation” (#10,714). Among 1,236 “K” headwords, “ko” is #10,717. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for ko is neighbouring look-alikes ("ky", "Ku", …), not just typos; it is anoun pronounced /ˈkəʊ/. Frequency #10,717 among 1,236 “K” headwords. 3 recorded senses keep meaning in play.

ko doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "ky", "Ku", "KS", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Japanese 劫 (kō). The correct English form is ko, spelled K-O.

Definition

1
A local shape to which the ko rule applies; a ko shape.
2
ko fight
3
a stone in a ko in atari, a ko stone

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how ko appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

Black gets an easy game by just filling the ko.
Black wins the ko easily.

Etymology

Borrowed from Japanese 劫 (kō).

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "ko"?

"ko" is spelled K-O. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkəʊ/.

What does "ko" mean?

As a noun, "ko" means: A local shape to which the ko rule applies; a ko shape.

What words are commonly confused with "ko"?

"ko" is commonly confused with "ky", "Ku", "KS". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.

How do you pronounce "ko"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ko" is /ˈkəʊ/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.

What is the origin of the word "ko"?

Borrowed from Japanese 劫 (kō). See the full etymology section above for more details.

Is PlainSpell free to use?

Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.