Which to use
“kaputt” and “kaputter” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,253
- “kaputt” frequency rank
- #45,376
- “kaputter” frequency rank
- 47629
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | kaputt | kaputter |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | in einem schadhaften oder funktionslosen Zustand | Nominativ Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs kaputt |
Where the eye mixes kaputt and kaputter
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: kaputt vs kaputter
A purely visual mix-up. kaputt ([kaˈpʊt]) and kaputter ([kaˈpʊtɐ]) 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 2 extra letter(s) - “kaputt” sits inside “kaputter”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 47629, 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]. kaputter is at rank #45,376, tagged as anadj, pronounced [kaˈpʊtɐ].
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 47629, this pair ranks #1,277,629 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of kaputt vs kaputter
Shared letters: akptu. Private to "kaputt": -. Private to "kaputter": er.
"kaputt" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCC · "kaputter" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "kaputt" and "kaputter" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "kaputt" or "kaputter"?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "kaputt" and "kaputter" 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 "kaputter" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,277,629 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "kaputt" and "kaputter" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "kaputter vs Kutter". 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 #1,277,629 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.