kuvskungWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: ku is a pronoun, kung is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“ku” is a pronoun and “kung” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#29,714
“ku” frequency rank
#21,378
“kung” frequency rank
51092
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature ku kung
Definition Ese, esa. Pronombre y adjetivo demostrativo usado para una entidad ausente. Rey.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set ku and kung apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

2 ch
ku
4 ch
kung

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

ku and kung form a confusable pair in the Spanish index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “ku” sits inside “kung” - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 51092, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

ku is recorded at frequency rank #29,714, classified as apron, pronounced [ˈku]. kung is at rank #21,378, tagged as anoun, pronounced [kɵŋ].

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 51092, this pair ranks #99,726 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Frequency comparison

ku#29,714
kung#21,378

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "ku" and "kung" be used interchangeably?
No, "ku" and "kung" have distinct meanings and cannot be swapped without changing the meaning of a sentence. Understanding the specific definition and context for each word is essential for correct usage.

Remembering ku vs kung

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a pronoun, it's “ku”; for a noun, it's “kung”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “ku” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list