kackenvskargenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#17,624
“kacken” frequency rank
#40,627
“kargen” frequency rank
58251
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature kacken kargen
Definition seinen Darm entleeren mit etwas geizen, es nicht gerne teilen oder verschenken

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set kacken and kargen apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
kacken
6 ch
kargen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. kacken ([ˈkakn̩]) and kargen ([ˈkaʁɡn̩]) 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 58251, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

kacken is recorded at frequency rank #17,624, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈkakn̩]. kargen is at rank #40,627, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈkaʁɡn̩].

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 58251, this pair ranks #870,018 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of kacken vs kargen

Shared letters: aekn. Private to "kacken": c. Private to "kargen": gr.

"kacken" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "kargen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • kackenakcken · kaccken · kacekn · kackenn · kackken · kackne · kakcen · kcaken
  • kargenakrgen · kagren · karegn · kargenn · karggen · kargne · karrgen · kkargen

Frequency comparison

kacken#17,624
kargen#40,627

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "kacken" and "kargen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈkakn̩] versus [ˈkaʁɡn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "kacken" or "kargen"?
"kacken" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #17,624 in our German list, against #40,627 for "kargen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering kacken vs kargen

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 “kacken” 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