Katze vs Krätze, What's the Difference?

Which to use

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

#2,659
“Katze” frequency rank: #44,028
“Krätze” frequency rank: 46687
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	Katze	Krätze
Definition	in zahlreichen Rassen gezüchtetes, dem Menschen verbundenes, anschmiegsames Haustier (Felis silvestris catus)	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 Katze and Krätze apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch

Katze

6 ch

Krätze

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Katze ([ˈkat͡sə]) and Krätze ([ˈkʁɛt͡sə]) 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 46687, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Katze is recorded at frequency rank #2,659, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈkat͡sə]. 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 46687, this pair ranks #1,310,500 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Katze vs Krätze

Shared letters: ektz. Private to "Katze": a. Private to "Krätze": rä.

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

Known mistypes of this pair

Katze ← aktze · katez · kattze · katzze · kazte · kkatze · ktaze

Frequency comparison

Katze#2,659

Krätze#44,028

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Katze" and "Krätze" be used interchangeably?

No. They are said differently ([ˈkat͡sə] versus [ˈkʁɛt͡sə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.

Which is more common, "Katze" or "Krätze"?

"Katze" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,659 in our German list, against #44,028 for "Krätze". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering Katze vs Krätze

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 “Katze” entry
Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable