KäsevsKriseWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#3,754
“Käse” frequency rank
#2,550
“Krise” frequency rank
6304
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Käse Krise
Definition ein festes Milchprodukt instabiler Zustand

Where the spellings diverge

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

4 ch
Käse
5 ch
Krise

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Käse ([ˈkɛːzə]) and Krise ([ˈkʁiːzə]) 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 6304, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Käse is recorded at frequency rank #3,754, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈkɛːzə]. Krise is at rank #2,550, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈkʁiːzə].

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 6304, this pair ranks #1,992,081 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Käse vs Krise

Shared letters: eks. Private to "Käse": ä. Private to "Krise": ir.

"Käse" · 4 letters · shape CVCV  ·  "Krise" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Krisekirse · kkrise · krisse · krrise · krsie · rkise

Frequency comparison

Käse#3,754
Krise#2,550

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Käse" and "Krise" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈkɛːzə] versus [ˈkʁiːzə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Käse" or "Krise"?
"Krise" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,550 in our German list, against #3,754 for "Käse". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Käse vs Krise

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 “Käse” 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