Which to use
“Kartei” and “Karton” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #48,265
- “Kartei” frequency rank
- #11,907
- “Karton” frequency rank
- 60172
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Kartei | Karton |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | nach einem bestimmten Prinzip sortierte Sammlung von Daten auf Karten oder Blättern gleichen Formats | festeres, papierähnliches Produkt |
Where the eye mixes Kartei and Karton
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses Kartei with Karton
A purely visual mix-up. Kartei ([kaʁˈtaɪ̯]) and Karton ([kaʁˈtɔ̃ː]) 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 60172, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Kartei is recorded at frequency rank #48,265, classified as anoun, pronounced [kaʁˈtaɪ̯]. Karton is at rank #11,907, tagged as anoun, pronounced [kaʁˈtɔ̃ː].
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 60172, this pair ranks #796,837 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Kartei vs Karton
Shared letters: akrt. Private to "Kartei": ei. Private to "Karton": no.
"Kartei" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVV · "Karton" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Kartei" and "Karton" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "Kartei" or "Karton"?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "Kartei" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Karton" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #796,837 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Kartei" and "Karton" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "karge vs Kartei". 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 #796,837 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.