Which to use
“kabeln” and “krabbeln” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #38,215
- “kabeln” frequency rank
- #41,293
- “krabbeln” frequency rank
- 79508
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | kabeln | krabbeln |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | eine Mitteilung über große Entfernungen telegrafisch übermitteln | (beim Menschen) auf Händen und Knien fortbewegen |
Where the eye mixes kabeln and krabbeln
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. kabeln runs 6 letters (CVCVCC) against krabbeln's 8 (CCVCCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: kabeln vs krabbeln
A purely visual mix-up. kabeln ([ˈkaːbl̩n]) and krabbeln ([ˈkʁabl̩n]) 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 79508, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
kabeln is recorded at frequency rank #38,215, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈkaːbl̩n]. krabbeln is at rank #41,293, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈkʁabl̩n].
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 79508, this pair ranks #214,992 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of kabeln vs krabbeln
Shared letters: abekln. Private to "kabeln": -. Private to "krabbeln": r.
"kabeln" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCC · "krabbeln" · 8 letters · shape CCVCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "kabeln" and "krabbeln" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "kabeln" or "krabbeln"?
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 "kabeln" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "krabbeln" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #214,992 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "kabeln" and "krabbeln" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Krabbe vs krabbeln". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #214,992 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.