käme vs kan, What's the Difference?

Which to use

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

#4,629
“käme” frequency rank: #14,843
“kan” frequency rank: 19472
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	käme	kan
Definition	1. Person Singular Konjunktiv II Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs kommen	1. Person Singular Präsens Indikativ des Verbs kunna ^(→ sv)

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set käme and kan apart are highlighted. They share 1 letter in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch

käme

3 ch

kan

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

käme and kan are indexed as a confusable German pair. We have no recorded pronunciation or part of speech for both members, so the spelling overlap is what we can show you: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 19472, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

käme is recorded at frequency rank #4,629, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈkɛːmə]. kan is at rank #14,843, tagged as averb, pronounced […].

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 19472, this pair ranks #1,907,990 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of käme vs kan

Shared letters: k. Private to "käme": emä. Private to "kan": an.

"käme" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "kan" · 3 letters · shape CVC

Frequency comparison

käme#4,629

kan#14,843

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "käme" and "kan" be used interchangeably?

No. They differ by 1 letter(s) in length, but the dictionary glosses above give them different meanings, so swapping one for the other changes what the sentence says.

Which is more common, "käme" or "kan"?

"käme" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,629 in our German list, against #14,843 for "kan". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering käme vs kan

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 “käme” entry
Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable