KarteivsKaterWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#48,265
“Kartei” frequency rank
#7,347
“Kater” frequency rank
55612
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Kartei Kater
Definition nach einem bestimmten Prinzip sortierte Sammlung von Daten auf Karten oder Blättern gleichen Formats männliche Katze

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
Kartei
5 ch
Kater

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Kartei ([kaʁˈtaɪ̯]) and Kater ([ˈkaːtɐ]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 55612, 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]. Kater is at rank #7,347, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈkaːtɐ].

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 55612, this pair ranks #972,868 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Kartei vs Kater

Shared letters: aekrt. Private to "Kartei": i. Private to "Kater": -.

"Kartei" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVV  ·  "Kater" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Karteiakrtei · kareti · karrtei · kartie · karttei · katrei · kkartei · kratei
  • Katerakter · kaetr · katerr · katter · kkater · ktaer

Frequency comparison

Kartei#48,265
Kater#7,347

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Kartei" and "Kater" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([kaʁˈtaɪ̯] versus [ˈkaːtɐ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Kartei" or "Kater"?
"Kater" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #7,347 in our German list, against #48,265 for "Kartei". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Kartei vs Kater

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 “Kartei” 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