kannvskinWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: kann is a verb, kin is a num, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“kann” is a verb and “kin” is a num - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#53
“kann” frequency rank
#39,466
“kin” frequency rank
39519
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature kann kin
Definition 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs können fünf (5)

Where the eye mixes kann and kin

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.

4 ch
kann
3 ch
kin

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: kann is [kan] while kin is [kin]. 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 num), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 39519, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

kann is recorded at frequency rank #53, classified as averb, pronounced [kan]. kin is at rank #39,466, tagged as anum, pronounced [kin].

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 39519, this pair ranks #1,534,531 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of kann vs kin

Shared letters: kn. Private to "kann": a. Private to "kin": i.

"kann" · 4 letters · shape CVCC  ·  "kin" · 3 letters · shape CVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • kannaknn · kkann · knan

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "kann" and "kin" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "kann" is a verb and "kin" a num, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "kann" or "kin"?
"kann" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #53 in our German list, against #39,466 for "kin". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

What to do next

You've compared "kann" and "kin". Here's where to go from here.

  • Full dictionary entry for "kann" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "kin" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,534,531 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "kann" and "kin" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "kin vs Koi". 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

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list