Which to use
“kann” and “kennt” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #53
- “kann” frequency rank
- #832
- “kennt” frequency rank
- 885
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | kann | kennt |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs können | 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs kennen |
Where the eye mixes kann and kennt
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses kann with kennt
A purely visual mix-up. kann ([kan]) and kennt ([kɛnt]) 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 885, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
kann is recorded at frequency rank #53, classified as averb, pronounced [kan]. kennt is at rank #832, tagged as averb, pronounced [kɛnt].
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 885, this pair ranks #2,005,207 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of kann vs kennt
Shared letters: kn. Private to "kann": a. Private to "kennt": et.
"kann" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "kennt" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "kann" and "kennt" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "kann" or "kennt"?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "kann" and "kennt" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "kann" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "kennt" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #2,005,207 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "kann" and "kennt" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "kennt vs krönt". 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 #2,005,207 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.