KäsevsKüheWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#3,754
“Käse” frequency rank
#8,584
“Kühe” frequency rank
12338
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Käse Kühe
Definition ein festes Milchprodukt Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Kuh

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Käse and Kühe apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
Käse
4 ch
Kühe

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Käse ([ˈkɛːzə]) and Kühe ([ˈkyːə]) 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 12338, 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]. Kühe is at rank #8,584, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈkyːə].

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 12338, this pair ranks #1,964,752 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Käse vs Kühe

Shared letters: ek. Private to "Käse": . Private to "Kühe": .

"Käse" · 4 letters · shape CVCV  ·  "Kühe" · 4 letters · shape CVCV

Frequency comparison

Käse#3,754
Kühe#8,584

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Käse" and "Kühe" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈkɛːzə] versus [ˈkyːə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Käse" or "Kühe"?
"Käse" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,754 in our German list, against #8,584 for "Kühe". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Käse vs Kühe

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