kaudervskauenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#25,193
“kauder” frequency rank
#22,394
“kauen” frequency rank
47587
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature kauder kauen
Definition 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs kaudern Nahrung mit den Zähnen, durch wiederholtes Öffnen und Schließen der Kiefer, zerkleinern

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
kauder
5 ch
kauen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. kauder ([ˈkaʊ̯dɐ]) and kauen ([ˈkaʊ̯ən]) 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 47587, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

kauder is recorded at frequency rank #25,193, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈkaʊ̯dɐ]. kauen is at rank #22,394, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈkaʊ̯ən].

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 47587, this pair ranks #1,279,110 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of kauder vs kauen

Shared letters: aeku. Private to "kauder": dr. Private to "kauen": n.

"kauder" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC  ·  "kauen" · 5 letters · shape CVVVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • kauderakuder · kaduer · kaudder · kauderr · kaudre · kauedr · kkauder · kuader
  • kauenakuen · kaeun · kauenn · kaune · kkauen · kuaen

Frequency comparison

kauder#25,193
kauen#22,394

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "kauder" and "kauen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈkaʊ̯dɐ] versus [ˈkaʊ̯ən]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "kauder" or "kauen"?
"kauen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #22,394 in our German list, against #25,193 for "kauder". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering kauder vs kauen

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 “kauder” 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