Which to use
“kämpften” and “kauften” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #12,117
- “kämpften” frequency rank
- #18,595
- “kauften” frequency rank
- 30712
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | kämpften | kauften |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs kämpfen | 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs kaufen |
Where the eye mixes kämpften and kauften
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. kämpften runs 8 letters (CVCCCCVC) against kauften's 7 (CVVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: kämpften vs kauften
A purely visual mix-up. kämpften ([ˈkɛmp͡ftn̩]) and kauften ([ˈkaʊ̯ftn̩]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 30712, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
kämpften is recorded at frequency rank #12,117, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈkɛmp͡ftn̩]. kauften is at rank #18,595, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈkaʊ̯ftn̩].
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 30712, this pair ranks #1,742,540 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of kämpften vs kauften
Shared letters: efknt. Private to "kämpften": mpä. Private to "kauften": au.
"kämpften" · 8 letters · shape CVCCCCVC · "kauften" · 7 letters · shape CVVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- kauften ← akuften · kafuten · kaufetn · kaufften · kauftenn · kauftne · kauftten · kautfen
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "kämpften" for "kauften" ever safe?
Frequency check: "kämpften" vs "kauften" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "kämpften" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "kauften" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,742,540 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "kämpften" and "kauften" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "kauften vs kürten". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #1,742,540 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.