Which to use
“kalt” and “karg” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,306
- “kalt” frequency rank
- #39,459
- “karg” frequency rank
- 41765
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | kalt | karg |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | eine niedrige Temperatur habend; von/mit niedriger Temperatur; nicht (mehr) heiß | (sehr) knapp, gering, wenig |
Where the eye mixes kalt and karg
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence. kalt and karg follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Visual trap between kalt and karg
A purely visual mix-up. kalt ([kalt]) and karg ([kaʁk]) 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 41765, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
kalt is recorded at frequency rank #2,306, classified as anadj, pronounced [kalt]. karg is at rank #39,459, tagged as anadj, pronounced [kaʁk].
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 41765, this pair ranks #1,469,746 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of kalt vs karg
Shared letters: ak. Private to "kalt": lt. Private to "karg": gr.
"kalt" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "karg" · 4 letters · shape CVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "kalt" and "karg" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "kalt" vs "karg" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "kalt" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "karg" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,469,746 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "kalt" and "karg" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "karg 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 #1,469,746 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.