KastenvsKissenConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#6,442
“Kasten” frequency rank
#7,781
“Kissen” frequency rank
14223
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Kasten Kissen
Definition verschließbarer, quaderförmiger Behälter mit weichem Füllmaterial befüllter Beutel zur Unterpolsterung und Stützung von Körperteilen; Accessoire in der Gestaltung der Wohnräume

Where the eye mixes Kasten and Kissen

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.

6 ch
Kasten
6 ch
Kissen

Look-alike desk: Kasten vs Kissen

A purely visual mix-up. Kasten ([ˈkastn̩]) and Kissen ([ˈkɪsn̩]) 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 14223, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Kasten is recorded at frequency rank #6,442, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈkastn̩]. Kissen is at rank #7,781, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈkɪsn̩].

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 14223, this pair ranks #1,952,728 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Kasten vs Kissen

Shared letters: ekns. Private to "Kasten": at. Private to "Kissen": i.

"Kasten" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "Kissen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Kastenaksten · kasetn · kassten · kastenn · kastne · kastten · katsen · kkasten
  • Kissenikssen · kisen · kisesn · kissenn · kissne · kißen · kkissen · ksisen

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "Kasten" and "Kissen" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([ˈkastn̩] versus [ˈkɪsn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Kasten" or "Kissen"?
"Kasten" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #6,442 in our German list, against #7,781 for "Kissen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Kasten" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Kissen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,952,728 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Kasten" and "Kissen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Kartei vs Kasten". 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 #1,952,728 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list