kanntevskonntetWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#2,899
“kannte” frequency rank
#46,080
“konntet” frequency rank
48979
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature kannte konntet
Definition 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs kennen 2. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum des Verbs können

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set kannte and konntet apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
kannte
7 ch
konntet

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. kannte ([ˈkantə]) and konntet ([ˈkɔntət]) 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 48979, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

kannte is recorded at frequency rank #2,899, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈkantə]. konntet is at rank #46,080, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈkɔntət].

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 48979, this pair ranks #1,228,473 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of kannte vs konntet

Shared letters: eknt. Private to "kannte": a. Private to "konntet": o.

"kannte" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCV  ·  "konntet" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • kannteaknnte · kannet · kanntte · kantne · kkannte · knante
  • konntetkkonntet · knontet · konnett · konntett · konnttet · kontet · kontnet · oknntet

Frequency comparison

kannte#2,899
konntet#46,080

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "kannte" and "konntet" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈkantə] versus [ˈkɔntət]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "kannte" or "konntet"?
"kannte" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,899 in our German list, against #46,080 for "konntet". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering kannte vs konntet

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 “kannte” 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