CharaktervscharterWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#2,100
“Charakter” frequency rank
#40,460
“charter” frequency rank
42560
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Charakter charter
Definition Gesamtheit der angeborenen und anerzogenen, geistig-seelischen Eigenschaften eines Menschen (Charaktereigenschaften) der Charterflug (vol charter); das Charterflugzeug (avion charter)

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Charakter and charter apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

9 ch
Charakter
7 ch
charter

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Charakter ([kaˈʁaktɐ]) and charter ([ʃaʁ.tɛʁ]) 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 42560, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Charakter is recorded at frequency rank #2,100, classified as anoun, pronounced [kaˈʁaktɐ]. charter is at rank #40,460, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ʃaʁ.tɛʁ].

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 42560, this pair ranks #1,445,590 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Charakter vs charter

Shared letters: acehrt. Private to "Charakter": k. Private to "charter": -.

"Charakter" · 9 letters · shape CCVCVCCVC  ·  "charter" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Charaktercahrakter · ccharakter · chaarkter · charaketr · charakkter · charakterr · charaktre · charaktter
  • chartercahrter · ccharter · charetr · charrter · charterr · chartre · chartter · chatrer

Frequency comparison

Charakter#2,100
charter#40,460

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Charakter" and "charter" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([kaˈʁaktɐ] versus [ʃaʁ.tɛʁ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Charakter" or "charter"?
"Charakter" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,100 in our German list, against #40,460 for "charter". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering Charakter vs charter

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 “Charakter” 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