KämpfervskämpfstWhich spelling fits?

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

Which to use

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

#4,367
“Kämpfer” frequency rank
#44,032
“kämpfst” frequency rank
48399
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Kämpfer kämpfst
Definition jemand, der kämpft 2. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs kämpfen

Where the eye mixes Kämpfer and kämpfst

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. Kämpfer (CVCCCVC) and kämpfst (CVCCCCC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.

7 ch
Kämpfer
7 ch
kämpfst

Why the eye confuses Kämpfer with kämpfst

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Kämpfer is [ˈkɛmp͡fɐ] while kämpfst is [kɛmp͡fst]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 48399, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Kämpfer is recorded at frequency rank #4,367, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈkɛmp͡fɐ]. kämpfst is at rank #44,032, tagged as averb, pronounced [kɛmp͡fst].

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 48399, this pair ranks #1,249,941 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Kämpfer vs kämpfst

Shared letters: fkmpä. Private to "Kämpfer": er. Private to "kämpfst": st.

"Kämpfer" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC  ·  "kämpfst" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCCC

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Kämpfer" and "kämpfst" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "Kämpfer" is a noun and "kämpfst" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
In ordinary German text, does "Kämpfer" or "kämpfst" show up more?
"Kämpfer" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,367 in our German list, against #44,032 for "kämpfst". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

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 "Kämpfer" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "kämpfst" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,249,941 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Kämpfer" and "kämpfst" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "kämpfst vs kamst". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #1,249,941 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list