KaufleutevsKaufleutenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#17,338
“Kaufleute” frequency rank
#41,274
“Kaufleuten” frequency rank
58612
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Kaufleute Kaufleuten
Definition Handeltreibende beiderlei Geschlechts; Kauffrauen/Kaufmänner Dativ Plural des Substantivs Kaufleute

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Kaufleute and Kaufleuten apart are highlighted. They share 9 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

9 ch
Kaufleute
10 ch
Kaufleuten

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Kaufleute ([ˈkaʊ̯fˌlɔɪ̯tə]) and Kaufleuten ([ˈkaʊ̯fˌlɔɪ̯tn̩]) 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 extra letter(s) - “Kaufleute” sits inside “Kaufleuten”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 58612, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Kaufleute is recorded at frequency rank #17,338, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈkaʊ̯fˌlɔɪ̯tə]. Kaufleuten is at rank #41,274, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈkaʊ̯fˌlɔɪ̯tn̩].

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 58612, this pair ranks #856,077 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Kaufleute vs Kaufleuten

Shared letters: aefkltu. Private to "Kaufleute": -. Private to "Kaufleuten": n.

"Kaufleute" · 9 letters · shape CVVCCVVCV  ·  "Kaufleuten" · 10 letters · shape CVVCCVVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Kaufleuteakufleute · kafuleute · kaufelute · kauffleute · kaufletue · kaufleuet · kaufleutte · kauflleute
  • Kaufleutenakufleuten · kafuleuten · kaufeluten · kauffleuten · kaufletuen · kaufleuetn · kaufleutenn · kaufleutne

Frequency comparison

Kaufleute#17,338
Kaufleuten#41,274

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Kaufleute" and "Kaufleuten" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈkaʊ̯fˌlɔɪ̯tə] versus [ˈkaʊ̯fˌlɔɪ̯tn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Kaufleute" or "Kaufleuten"?
"Kaufleute" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #17,338 in our German list, against #41,274 for "Kaufleuten". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Kaufleute vs Kaufleuten

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 “Kaufleute” 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