kapierenvskopierenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#19,271
“kapieren” frequency rank
#10,886
“kopieren” frequency rank
30157
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature kapieren kopieren
Definition verstehen von einer Vorlage mehrere möglichst gleiche Exemplare anfertigen; vervielfältigen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set kapieren and kopieren apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
kapieren
8 ch
kopieren

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. kapieren ([kaˈpiːʁən]) and kopieren ([koˈpiːʁən]) 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 a single letter - a in “kapieren” becomes o in “kopieren”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 30157, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

kapieren is recorded at frequency rank #19,271, classified as averb, pronounced [kaˈpiːʁən]. kopieren is at rank #10,886, tagged as averb, pronounced [koˈpiːʁən].

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 30157, this pair ranks #1,753,317 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of kapieren vs kopieren

Shared letters: eiknpr. Private to "kapieren": a. Private to "kopieren": o.

"kapieren" · 8 letters · shape CVCVVCVC  ·  "kopieren" · 8 letters · shape CVCVVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • kapierenakpieren · kaiperen · kapeiren · kapieern · kapierenn · kapierne · kapierren · kapireen
  • kopierenkkopieren · koiperen · kopeiren · kopieern · kopierenn · kopierne · kopierren · kopireen

Frequency comparison

kapieren#19,271
kopieren#10,886

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "kapieren" and "kopieren" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([kaˈpiːʁən] versus [koˈpiːʁən]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "kapieren" or "kopieren"?
"kopieren" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #10,886 in our German list, against #19,271 for "kapieren". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering kapieren vs kopieren

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 “kapieren” 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