Which to use
“Kahn” is a noun and “kann” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #14,600
- “Kahn” frequency rank
- #53
- “kann” frequency rank
- 14653
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Kahn | kann |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | kleines, ungedecktes Wasserfahrzeug mit flachem Boden, das in Flüssen, Binnen- und Hafengewässern eingesetzt werden kann | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs können |
Same sound, different letters: Kahn vs kann
Muted letters are shared; highlighted letters are the only spelling cue when pronunciation matches. Shared run: 3 letters.
Homophone desk: Kahn vs kann
Say them out loud and nothing separates them: Kahn and kann carry the same recorded pronunciation, [kaːn]. Grammar is what tells them apart: one is anoun, the other averb, so most sentences will only accept one of them. They differ by a single letter - h in “Kahn” becomes n in “kann”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 14653, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Kahn is recorded at frequency rank #14,600, classified as anoun, pronounced [kaːn]. kann is at rank #53, tagged as averb, pronounced [kan].
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 14653, this pair ranks #1,949,698 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Kahn vs kann
Shared letters: akn. Private to "Kahn": h. Private to "kann": -.
"Kahn" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "kann" · 4 letters · shape CVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Kahn" for "kann" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "Kahn" or "kann" show up more?
After this comparison
You've separated the homophone pair "Kahn" / "kann". Follow the links when you need the full entry or a neighbour that trips the same ear.
- Full dictionary entry for "Kahn" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "kann" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,949,698 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Kahn" and "kann" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Kahn vs kräht". 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 #1,949,698 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.