Cafés vs Ces, What's the Difference?

Which to use

“Cafés” and “Ces” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#16,661
“Cafés” frequency rank: #35,690
“Ces” frequency rank: 52351
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	Cafés	Ces
Definition	Genitiv Singular des Substantivs Café	Ton mit 495 Hz und alle Töne im Oktavabstand dazu, um einen Halbton vermindertes C

Where the spellings diverge

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

5 ch

Cafés

3 ch

Ces

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Cafés ([kaˈfeːs]) and Ces ([t͡sɛs]) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 52351, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Cafés is recorded at frequency rank #16,661, classified as anoun, pronounced [kaˈfeːs]. Ces is at rank #35,690, tagged as anoun, pronounced [t͡sɛs].

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 52351, this pair ranks #1,100,265 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Cafés vs Ces

Shared letters: cs. Private to "Cafés": afé. Private to "Ces": e.

"Cafés" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "Ces" · 3 letters · shape CVC

Frequency comparison

Cafés#16,661

Ces#35,690

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Cafés" and "Ces" be used interchangeably?

No. They are said differently ([kaˈfeːs] versus [t͡sɛs]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.

Which is more common, "Cafés" or "Ces"?

"Cafés" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #16,661 in our German list, against #35,690 for "Ces". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Cafés vs Ces

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 “Cafés” entry
Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable