karvskoiWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“kar” and “koi” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#45,130
“kar” frequency rank
#29,838
“koi” frequency rank
74968
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature kar koi
Definition Sourd. Autre orthographe de koï (race de carpe du Japon, aussi appelée carpe japonaise).

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set kar and koi apart are highlighted. They share 1 letter in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

3 ch
kar
3 ch
koi

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. kar (\cɑr\) and koi (\kɔj\) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 74968, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

kar is recorded at frequency rank #45,130, classified as anadj, pronounced \cɑr\. koi is at rank #29,838, tagged as anadj, pronounced \kɔj\.

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 74968, this pair ranks #35,492 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of kar vs koi

Shared letters: k. Private to "kar": ar. Private to "koi": io.

"kar" · 3 letters · shape CVC  ·  "koi" · 3 letters · shape CVV

Frequency comparison

kar#45,130
koi#29,838

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "kar" and "koi" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\cɑr\ versus \kɔj\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "kar" or "koi"?
"koi" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #29,838 in our French list, against #45,130 for "kar". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering kar vs koi

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “kar” 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