kargevskaufeWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#49,815
“karge” frequency rank
#5,388
“kaufe” frequency rank
55203
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature karge kaufe
Definition 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs kargen 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs kaufen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set karge and kaufe apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
karge
5 ch
kaufe

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. karge ([ˈkaʁɡə]) and kaufe ([ˈkaʊ̯fə]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 55203, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

karge is recorded at frequency rank #49,815, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈkaʁɡə]. kaufe is at rank #5,388, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈkaʊ̯fə].

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 55203, this pair ranks #988,713 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of karge vs kaufe

Shared letters: aek. Private to "karge": gr. Private to "kaufe": fu.

"karge" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV  ·  "kaufe" · 5 letters · shape CVVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • kargeakrge · kagre · kareg · kargge · karrge · kkarge · krage
  • kaufeakufe · kafue · kauef · kauffe · kkaufe · kuafe

Frequency comparison

karge#49,815
kaufe#5,388

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "karge" and "kaufe" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈkaʁɡə] versus [ˈkaʊ̯fə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "karge" or "kaufe"?
"kaufe" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,388 in our German list, against #49,815 for "karge". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering karge vs kaufe

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 “karge” 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