KarlsvsKarteWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#14,337
“Karls” frequency rank
#1,203
“Karte” frequency rank
15540
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Karls Karte
Definition Genitiv Singular des Substantivs Karl ein handlicher, planer, steifer aber nicht starrer, meist rechteckiger Gegenstand aus Karton, Pappe, Papier, Kunststoff, allenfalls Holz oder Metall

Where the spellings diverge

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

5 ch
Karls
5 ch
Karte

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Karls ([kaʁls]) and Karte ([ˈkaʁtə]) 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 15540, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Karls is recorded at frequency rank #14,337, classified as anoun, pronounced [kaʁls]. Karte is at rank #1,203, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈkaʁtə].

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 15540, this pair ranks #1,943,055 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Karls vs Karte

Shared letters: akr. Private to "Karls": ls. Private to "Karte": et.

"Karls" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC  ·  "Karte" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Karlsakrls · kalrs · karlls · karlss · karrls · karsl · kkarls · krals
  • Karteakrte · karet · karrte · kartte · katre · kkarte · krate

Frequency comparison

Karls#14,337
Karte#1,203

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Karls" and "Karte" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([kaʁls] versus [ˈkaʁtə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Karls" or "Karte"?
"Karte" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,203 in our German list, against #14,337 for "Karls". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering Karls vs Karte

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 “Karls” 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