Which to use
“kan” and “ko” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #21,371
- “kan” frequency rank
- #9,864
- “ko” frequency rank
- 31235
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | kan | ko |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Prince commandant chez les Mongols (autrefois appelés Tartares), les chefs d’État de Perse d’origine mongole, etc. | Configuration cyclique de pions, si fréquente que des règles spécifiques la traitent. |
Where the eye mixes kan and ko
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Visual trap between kan and ko
A purely visual mix-up. kan (\kɑ̃\) and ko (\ko\) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 31235, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
kan is recorded at frequency rank #21,371, classified as anoun, pronounced \kɑ̃\. ko is at rank #9,864, tagged as anoun, pronounced \ko\.
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 31235, this pair ranks #305,083 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of kan vs ko
Shared letters: k. Private to "kan": an. Private to "ko": o.
"kan" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "ko" · 2 letters · shape CV
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "kan" and "ko" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "kan" vs "ko" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "kan" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "ko" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #305,083 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "kan" and "ko" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "kan vs ky". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #305,083 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.