bokvsbonWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: bok is a noun, bon is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“bok” is a noun and “bon” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#41,372
“bok” frequency rank
#10,479
“bon” frequency rank
51851
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature bok bon
Definition bode bom

Where the spellings diverge

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

3 ch
bok
3 ch
bon

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: bok is anoun and bonanadjective. On the page they differ by a single letter - k in “bok” becomes n in “bon”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 51851, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

bok is recorded at frequency rank #41,372, classified as anoun, pronounced /bɔk/. bon is at rank #10,479, tagged as anadj.

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 51851, this pair ranks #13,254 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of bok vs bon

Shared letters: bo. Private to "bok": k. Private to "bon": n.

"bok" · 3 letters · shape CVC  ·  "bon" · 3 letters · shape CVC

Frequency comparison

bok#41,372
bon#10,479

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "bok" and "bon" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "bok" is a noun and "bon" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "bok" or "bon"?
"bon" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #10,479 in our Portuguese list, against #41,372 for "bok". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering bok vs bon

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “bok”; for an adjective, it's “bon”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “bok” 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