KapitänevsKapitänsWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#41,271
“Kapitäne” frequency rank
#37,605
“Kapitäns” frequency rank
78876
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Kapitäne Kapitäns
Definition Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Kapitän Genitiv Singular des Substantivs Kapitän

Where the spellings diverge

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

8 ch
Kapitäne
8 ch
Kapitäns

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Kapitäne ([kapiˈtɛːnə]) and Kapitäns ([kapiˈtɛːns]) 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 - e in “Kapitäne” becomes s in “Kapitäns”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 78876, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Kapitäne is recorded at frequency rank #41,271, classified as anoun, pronounced [kapiˈtɛːnə]. Kapitäns is at rank #37,605, tagged as anoun, pronounced [kapiˈtɛːns].

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 78876, this pair ranks #228,590 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of Kapitäne vs Kapitäns

Shared letters: aiknptä. Private to "Kapitäne": e. Private to "Kapitäns": s.

"Kapitäne" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCVCV  ·  "Kapitäns" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCVCC

Frequency comparison

Kapitäne#41,271
Kapitäns#37,605

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Kapitäne" and "Kapitäns" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([kapiˈtɛːnə] versus [kapiˈtɛːns]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Kapitäne" or "Kapitäns"?
"Kapitäns" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #37,605 in our German list, against #41,271 for "Kapitäne". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Kapitäne vs Kapitäns

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 “Kapitäne” 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