kannvskungWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#53
“kann” frequency rank
#22,408
“kung” frequency rank
22461
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature kann kung
Definition 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs können monarchisches Oberhaupt eines Königreichs; König

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set kann and kung apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
kann
4 ch
kung

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: kann is averb and kunganoun. On the page they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 22461, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

kann is recorded at frequency rank #53, classified as averb, pronounced [kan]. kung is at rank #22,408, tagged as anoun, pronounced […].

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 22461, this pair ranks #1,873,863 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of kann vs kung

Shared letters: kn. Private to "kann": a. Private to "kung": gu.

"kann" · 4 letters · shape CVCC  ·  "kung" · 4 letters · shape CVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • kannaknn · kkann · knan
  • kungkkung · knug · kugn · kungg · kunng · ukng

Frequency comparison

kann#53
kung#22,408

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "kann" and "kung" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "kann" is a verb and "kung" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "kann" or "kung"?
"kann" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #53 in our German list, against #22,408 for "kung". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering kann vs kung

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “kann”; for a noun, it's “kung”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “kann” 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