Which to use
“kaufst” and “kaufte” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #14,844
- “kaufst” frequency rank
- #7,949
- “kaufte” frequency rank
- 22793
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | kaufst | kaufte |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 2. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs kaufen | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs kaufen |
Where the eye mixes kaufst and kaufte
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. kaufst (CVVCCC) and kaufte (CVVCCV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Look-alike desk: kaufst vs kaufte
A purely visual mix-up. kaufst ([kaʊ̯fst]) and kaufte ([ˈkaʊ̯ftə]) 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 22793, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
kaufst is recorded at frequency rank #14,844, classified as averb, pronounced [kaʊ̯fst]. kaufte is at rank #7,949, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈkaʊ̯ftə].
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 22793, this pair ranks #1,869,690 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of kaufst vs kaufte
Shared letters: afktu. Private to "kaufst": s. Private to "kaufte": e.
"kaufst" · 6 letters · shape CVVCCC · "kaufte" · 6 letters · shape CVVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "kaufst" for "kaufte" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "kaufst" or "kaufte" show up more?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "kaufst" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "kaufte" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,869,690 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "kaufst" and "kaufte" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "kaufst vs kaut". 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 #1,869,690 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.