kamstvskauftWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“kamst” and “kauft” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#38,841
“kamst” frequency rank
#3,536
“kauft” frequency rank
42377
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature kamst kauft
Definition 2. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs kommen 2. Person Plural Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs kaufen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set kamst and kauft apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
kamst
5 ch
kauft

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. kamst ([kaːmst]) and kauft ([kaʊ̯ft]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 42377, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

kamst is recorded at frequency rank #38,841, classified as averb, pronounced [kaːmst]. kauft is at rank #3,536, tagged as averb, pronounced [kaʊ̯ft].

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 42377, this pair ranks #1,451,266 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of kamst vs kauft

Shared letters: akt. Private to "kamst": ms. Private to "kauft": fu.

"kamst" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC  ·  "kauft" · 5 letters · shape CVVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • kamstakmst · kammst · kamsst · kamstt · kamts · kasmt · kkamst · kmast
  • kauftakuft · kafut · kaufft · kauftt · kautf · kkauft · kuaft

Frequency comparison

kamst#38,841
kauft#3,536

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "kamst" and "kauft" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([kaːmst] versus [kaʊ̯ft]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "kamst" or "kauft"?
"kauft" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,536 in our German list, against #38,841 for "kamst". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering kamst vs kauft

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “kamst” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list