Which to use
“kaputte” is an adjective and “kaufte” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #17,628
- “kaputte” frequency rank
- #7,949
- “kaufte” frequency rank
- 25577
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | kaputte | kaufte |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs kaputt | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs kaufen |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set kaputte and kaufte apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: kaputte is [kaˈpʊtə] while kaufte is [ˈkaʊ̯ftə]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 25577, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
kaputte is recorded at frequency rank #17,628, classified as anadj, pronounced [kaˈpʊtə]. kaufte is at rank #7,949, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈkaʊ̯ftə].
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 25577, this pair ranks #1,831,155 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of kaputte vs kaufte
Shared letters: aektu. Private to "kaputte": p. Private to "kaufte": f.
"kaputte" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCV · "kaufte" · 6 letters · shape CVVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "kaputte" and "kaufte" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "kaputte" or "kaufte"?
Remembering kaputte vs kaufte
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “kaputte”; for a verb, it's “kaufte”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “kaputte” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable