Which to use
“kaffe” and “Käfig” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #31,632
- “kaffe” frequency rank
- #14,344
- “Käfig” frequency rank
- 45976
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | kaffe | Käfig |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | geröstete Kaffeebohnen | Behälter oder Einrichtung, um Lebewesen gefangen zu halten, häufig mit einem Gitter versehen |
Where the eye mixes kaffe and Käfig
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence. kaffe (CVCCV) and Käfig (CVCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses kaffe with Käfig
A purely visual mix-up. kaffe ([ˇkafə]) and Käfig ([ˈkɛːfɪç]) 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 3 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 45976, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
kaffe is recorded at frequency rank #31,632, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˇkafə]. Käfig is at rank #14,344, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈkɛːfɪç].
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 45976, this pair ranks #1,334,760 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of kaffe vs Käfig
Shared letters: fk. Private to "kaffe": ae. Private to "Käfig": giä.
"kaffe" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV · "Käfig" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- kaffe ← akffe · kafe · kafef · kfafe · kkaffe
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "kaffe" for "Käfig" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "kaffe" or "Käfig" show up more?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "kaffe" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Käfig" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,334,760 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "kaffe" and "Käfig" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "kaffe vs karge". 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 #1,334,760 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.