Which to use
“Kanten” and “Karte” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #12,321
- “Kanten” frequency rank
- #1,203
- “Karte” frequency rank
- 13524
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Kanten | Karte |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | äußere, oft braungebackene Krustenschicht eines Brotlaibs, die härter als das Innere ist und sich am Ende befindet | ein handlicher, planer, steifer aber nicht starrer, meist rechteckiger Gegenstand aus Karton, Pappe, Papier, Kunststoff, allenfalls Holz oder Metall |
Where the eye mixes Kanten and Karte
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. Kanten runs 6 letters (CVCCVC) against Karte's 5 (CVCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses Kanten with Karte
A purely visual mix-up. Kanten ([ˈkantn̩]) and Karte ([ˈkaʁtə]) 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 13524, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Kanten is recorded at frequency rank #12,321, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈkantn̩]. Karte is at rank #1,203, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈkaʁtə].
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 13524, this pair ranks #1,957,445 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Kanten vs Karte
Shared letters: aekt. Private to "Kanten": n. Private to "Karte": r.
"Kanten" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "Karte" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Kanten" for "Karte" ever safe?
Which is more common, "Kanten" or "Karte"?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "Kanten" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Karte" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,957,445 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Kanten" and "Karte" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Kanten vs kantig". 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 #1,957,445 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.