kämpftvsKrämpfeConfusable pair

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

Which to use

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

#4,368
“kämpft” frequency rank
#30,154
“Krämpfe” frequency rank
34522
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature kämpft Krämpfe
Definition 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs kämpfen Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Krampf

Where the eye mixes kämpft and Krämpfe

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. kämpft runs 6 letters (CVCCCC) against Krämpfe's 7 (CCVCCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

6 ch
kämpft
7 ch
Krämpfe

Look-alike desk: kämpft vs Krämpfe

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: kämpft is [kɛmp͡ft] while Krämpfe is [ˈkʁɛmp͡fə]. 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 (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 34522, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

kämpft is recorded at frequency rank #4,368, classified as averb, pronounced [kɛmp͡ft]. Krämpfe is at rank #30,154, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈkʁɛmp͡fə].

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 34522, this pair ranks #1,661,425 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of kämpft vs Krämpfe

Shared letters: fkmpä. Private to "kämpft": t. Private to "Krämpfe": er.

"kämpft" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCC  ·  "Krämpfe" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCCV

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "kämpft" and "Krämpfe" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "kämpft" is a verb and "Krämpfe" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "kämpft" or "Krämpfe"?
"kämpft" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,368 in our German list, against #30,154 for "Krämpfe". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "kämpft" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Krämpfe" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,661,425 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "kämpft" and "Krämpfe" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Krämpfe vs krapfen". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #1,661,425 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