KariesvsKartenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#39,460
“Karies” frequency rank
#1,559
“Karten” frequency rank
41019
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Karies Karten
Definition Erkrankung der Zähne, bei der der Zahnschmelz und teilweise das Dentin zerfällt Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Karte

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
Karies
6 ch
Karten

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Karies ([ˈkaːʁiɛs]) and Karten ([ˈkaʁtn̩]) 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 41019, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Karies is recorded at frequency rank #39,460, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈkaːʁiɛs]. Karten is at rank #1,559, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈkaʁtn̩].

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 41019, this pair ranks #1,491,626 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Karies vs Karten

Shared letters: aekr. Private to "Karies": is. Private to "Karten": nt.

"Karies" · 6 letters · shape CVCVVC  ·  "Karten" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Kariesakries · kaires · kareis · kariess · karise · karries · kkaries · kraies
  • Kartenakrten · karetn · karrten · kartenn · kartne · kartten · katren · kkarten

Frequency comparison

Karies#39,460
Karten#1,559

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Karies" and "Karten" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈkaːʁiɛs] versus [ˈkaʁtn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Karies" or "Karten"?
"Karten" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,559 in our German list, against #39,460 for "Karies". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering Karies vs Karten

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 “Karies” 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