KartenvsKrötenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#1,559
“Karten” frequency rank
#29,203
“Kröten” frequency rank
30762
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Karten Kröten
Definition Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Karte Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Kröte

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Karten and Kröten apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
Karten
6 ch
Kröten

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Karten ([ˈkaʁtn̩]) and Kröten ([ˈkʁøːtn̩]) 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 30762, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Karten is recorded at frequency rank #1,559, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈkaʁtn̩]. Kröten is at rank #29,203, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈkʁøːtn̩].

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 30762, this pair ranks #1,741,577 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Karten vs Kröten

Shared letters: eknrt. Private to "Karten": a. Private to "Kröten": ö.

"Karten" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "Kröten" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Kartenakrten · karetn · karrten · kartenn · kartne · kartten · katren · kkarten

Frequency comparison

Karten#1,559
Kröten#29,203

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Karten" and "Kröten" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈkaʁtn̩] versus [ˈkʁøːtn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Karten" or "Kröten"?
"Karten" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,559 in our German list, against #29,203 for "Kröten". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering Karten vs Kröten

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 “Karten” 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