Which to use
“kaputt” and “kaputte” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,253
- “kaputt” frequency rank
- #17,628
- “kaputte” frequency rank
- 19881
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | kaputt | kaputte |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | in einem schadhaften oder funktionslosen Zustand | Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs kaputt |
Where the eye mixes kaputt and kaputte
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. kaputt runs 6 letters (CVCVCC) against kaputte's 7 (CVCVCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between kaputt and kaputte
A purely visual mix-up. kaputt ([kaˈpʊt]) and kaputte ([kaˈpʊtə]) 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 extra letter(s) - “kaputt” sits inside “kaputte”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 19881, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
kaputt is recorded at frequency rank #2,253, classified as anadj, pronounced [kaˈpʊt]. kaputte is at rank #17,628, tagged as anadj, pronounced [kaˈpʊtə].
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 19881, this pair ranks #1,903,618 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of kaputt vs kaputte
Shared letters: akptu. Private to "kaputt": -. Private to "kaputte": e.
"kaputt" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCC · "kaputte" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "kaputt" for "kaputte" ever safe?
Frequency check: "kaputt" vs "kaputte" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "kaputt" and "kaputte" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "kaputt" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "kaputte" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,903,618 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "kaputt" and "kaputte" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "kaputte vs kaputter". 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 #1,903,618 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.