Which to use
“Kartei” and “Kasten” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #48,265
- “Kartei” frequency rank
- #6,442
- “Kasten” frequency rank
- 54707
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Kartei | Kasten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | nach einem bestimmten Prinzip sortierte Sammlung von Daten auf Karten oder Blättern gleichen Formats | verschließbarer, quaderförmiger Behälter |
Where the eye mixes Kartei and Kasten
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. Kartei (CVCCVV) and Kasten (CVCCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Look-alike desk: Kartei vs Kasten
A purely visual mix-up. Kartei ([kaʁˈtaɪ̯]) and Kasten ([ˈkastn̩]) 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 54707, 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]. Kasten is at rank #6,442, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈkastn̩].
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 54707, this pair ranks #1,008,311 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Kartei vs Kasten
Shared letters: aekt. Private to "Kartei": ir. Private to "Kasten": ns.
"Kartei" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVV · "Kasten" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "Kartei" and "Kasten" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "Kartei" or "Kasten"?
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 "Kasten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,008,311 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Kartei" and "Kasten" 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 #1,008,311 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.