Which to use
“kapern” and “kapier” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #38,220
- “kapern” frequency rank
- #44,002
- “kapier” frequency rank
- 82222
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | kapern | kapier |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | sich eines Schiffs bemächtigen | 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs kapieren |
Where the eye mixes kapern and kapier
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. kapern (CVCVCC) and kapier (CVCVVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Look-alike desk: kapern vs kapier
A purely visual mix-up. kapern ([ˈkaːpɐn]) and kapier ([kaˈpiːɐ̯]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 3 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 82222, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
kapern is recorded at frequency rank #38,220, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈkaːpɐn]. kapier is at rank #44,002, tagged as averb, pronounced [kaˈpiːɐ̯].
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 82222, this pair ranks #161,131 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of kapern vs kapier
Shared letters: aekpr. Private to "kapern": n. Private to "kapier": i.
"kapern" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCC · "kapier" · 6 letters · shape CVCVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "kapern" and "kapier" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "kapern" or "kapier" show up more?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "kapern" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "kapier" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #161,131 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "kapern" and "kapier" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "kapier vs Karies". 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 #161,131 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.