Which to use
“Kar” and “Kurs” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #40,626
- “Kar” frequency rank
- #1,894
- “Kurs” frequency rank
- 42520
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Kar | Kurs |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | kesselförmige Eintiefung an einem Berghang mit flachem Boden und steilen Rückwänden | eine eingeschlagene, vorgeschriebene oder aufgezeichnete Richtung einer Person, eines Fahrzeuges, eines Flugzeugs oder eines Schiffes |
Where the eye mixes Kar and Kurs
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence. Kar runs 3 letters (CVC) against Kurs's 4 (CVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses Kar with Kurs
A purely visual mix-up. Kar ([kaːɐ̯]) and Kurs ([kʊʁs]) 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 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 42520, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Kar is recorded at frequency rank #40,626, classified as anoun, pronounced [kaːɐ̯]. Kurs is at rank #1,894, tagged as anoun, pronounced [kʊʁs].
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 42520, this pair ranks #1,446,769 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Kar vs Kurs
Shared letters: kr. Private to "Kar": a. Private to "Kurs": su.
"Kar" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "Kurs" · 4 letters · shape CVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- Kurs ← kkurs · krus · kurrs · kurss · kusr · ukrs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Kar" for "Kurs" ever safe?
Which is more common, "Kar" or "Kurs"?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "Kar" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Kurs" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,446,769 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Kar" and "Kurs" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Kar vs karge". 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 #1,446,769 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.