kaltesvsKaterWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: kaltes is a adjective, Kater is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“kaltes” is an adjective and “Kater” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#15,666
“kaltes” frequency rank
#7,347
“Kater” frequency rank
23013
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature kaltes Kater
Definition Nominativ Singular Neutrum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs kalt männliche Katze

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
kaltes
5 ch
Kater

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: kaltes is [ˈkaltəs] while Kater is [ˈkaːtɐ]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 23013, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

kaltes is recorded at frequency rank #15,666, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈkaltəs]. Kater is at rank #7,347, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈkaːtɐ].

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 23013, this pair ranks #1,866,861 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of kaltes vs Kater

Shared letters: aekt. Private to "kaltes": ls. Private to "Kater": r.

"kaltes" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "Kater" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • kaltesakltes · kalets · kalltes · kaltess · kaltse · kalttes · katles · kkaltes
  • Katerakter · kaetr · katerr · katter · kkater · ktaer

Frequency comparison

kaltes#15,666
Kater#7,347

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "kaltes" and "Kater" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "kaltes" is an adjective and "Kater" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "kaltes" or "Kater"?
"Kater" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #7,347 in our German list, against #15,666 for "kaltes". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering kaltes vs Kater

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “kaltes”; for a noun, it's “Kater”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “kaltes” 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