kargenvskürtenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#40,627
“kargen” frequency rank
#39,491
“kürten” frequency rank
80118
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature kargen kürten
Definition mit etwas geizen, es nicht gerne teilen oder verschenken 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs küren

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set kargen and kürten apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
kargen
6 ch
kürten

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. kargen ([ˈkaʁɡn̩]) and kürten ([ˈkyːɐ̯tn̩]) 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 80118, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

kargen is recorded at frequency rank #40,627, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈkaʁɡn̩]. kürten is at rank #39,491, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈkyːɐ̯tn̩].

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 80118, this pair ranks #202,100 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of kargen vs kürten

Shared letters: eknr. Private to "kargen": ag. Private to "kürten": .

"kargen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "kürten" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • kargenakrgen · kagren · karegn · kargenn · karggen · kargne · karrgen · kkargen

Frequency comparison

kargen#40,627
kürten#39,491

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "kargen" and "kürten" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈkaʁɡn̩] versus [ˈkyːɐ̯tn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "kargen" or "kürten"?
"kürten" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #39,491 in our German list, against #40,627 for "kargen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering kargen vs kürten

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 “kargen” 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