KäthevsKrätzeWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: Käthe is a name, Krätze is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“Käthe” is a name and “Krätze” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#25,211
“Käthe” frequency rank
#44,028
“Krätze” frequency rank
69239
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Käthe Krätze
Definition weiblicher Vorname stark juckende Hautkrankheit, die durch sich in die Haut einbohrende Milben verursacht ist

Where the spellings diverge

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

5 ch
Käthe
6 ch
Krätze

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Käthe is [ˈkɛːtə] while Krätze is [ˈkʁɛt͡sə]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (name vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 69239, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Käthe is recorded at frequency rank #25,211, classified as aname, pronounced [ˈkɛːtə]. Krätze is at rank #44,028, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈkʁɛt͡sə].

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 69239, this pair ranks #482,684 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of Käthe vs Krätze

Shared letters: ektä. Private to "Käthe": h. Private to "Krätze": rz.

"Käthe" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV  ·  "Krätze" · 6 letters · shape CCVCCV

Frequency comparison

Käthe#25,211
Krätze#44,028

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Käthe" and "Krätze" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "Käthe" is a name and "Krätze" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "Käthe" or "Krätze"?
"Käthe" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #25,211 in our German list, against #44,028 for "Krätze". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Käthe vs Krätze

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a name, it's “Käthe”; for a noun, it's “Krätze”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “Käthe” 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