kämevskayWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: käme is a verb, kay is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“käme” is a verb and “kay” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#4,629
“käme” frequency rank
#10,503
“kay” frequency rank
15132
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature käme kay
Definition 1. Person Singular Konjunktiv II Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs kommen Fisch

Where the spellings diverge

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

4 ch
käme
3 ch
kay

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: käme is averb and kayanoun. On the page they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 15132, 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]. kay is at rank #10,503, tagged as anoun, 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 15132, this pair ranks #1,946,144 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of käme vs kay

Shared letters: k. Private to "käme": emä. Private to "kay": ay.

"käme" · 4 letters · shape CVCV  ·  "kay" · 3 letters · shape CVV

Frequency comparison

käme#4,629
kay#10,503

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "käme" and "kay" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "käme" is a verb and "kay" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "käme" or "kay"?
"käme" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,629 in our German list, against #10,503 for "kay". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering käme vs kay

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “käme”; for a noun, it's “kay”.
  • 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

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list