Which to use
“Kämpfe” is a noun and “kämpfte” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #4,135
- “Kämpfe” frequency rank
- #8,901
- “kämpfte” frequency rank
- 13036
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Kämpfe | kämpfte |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Kampf | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs kämpfen |
Where the eye mixes Kämpfe and kämpfte
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. Kämpfe runs 6 letters (CVCCCV) against kämpfte's 7 (CVCCCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between Kämpfe and kämpfte
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Kämpfe is [ˈkɛmp͡fə] while kämpfte is [ˈkɛmp͡ftə]. 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 (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 13036, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Kämpfe is recorded at frequency rank #4,135, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈkɛmp͡fə]. kämpfte is at rank #8,901, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈkɛmp͡ftə].
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 13036, this pair ranks #1,960,513 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Kämpfe vs kämpfte
Shared letters: efkmpä. Private to "Kämpfe": -. Private to "kämpfte": t.
"Kämpfe" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCV · "kämpfte" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Kämpfe" for "kämpfte" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "Kämpfe" or "kämpfte" show up more?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "Kämpfe" and "kämpfte" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "Kämpfe" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "kämpfte" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,960,513 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Kämpfe" and "kämpfte" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "kämpfst vs kämpfte". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,960,513 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.