kauftevskautWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#7,949
“kaufte” frequency rank
#46,771
“kaut” frequency rank
54720
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature kaufte kaut
Definition 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs kaufen 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs kauen

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
kaufte
4 ch
kaut

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. kaufte ([ˈkaʊ̯ftə]) and kaut ([kaʊ̯t]) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 54720, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

kaufte is recorded at frequency rank #7,949, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈkaʊ̯ftə]. kaut is at rank #46,771, tagged as averb, pronounced [kaʊ̯t].

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 54720, this pair ranks #1,007,773 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of kaufte vs kaut

Shared letters: aktu. Private to "kaufte": ef. Private to "kaut": -.

"kaufte" · 6 letters · shape CVVCCV  ·  "kaut" · 4 letters · shape CVVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • kaufteakufte · kafute · kaufet · kauffte · kauftte · kautfe · kkaufte · kuafte
  • kautkatu · kautt · kkaut · kuat

Frequency comparison

kaufte#7,949
kaut#46,771

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "kaufte" and "kaut" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈkaʊ̯ftə] versus [kaʊ̯t]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "kaufte" or "kaut"?
"kaufte" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #7,949 in our German list, against #46,771 for "kaut". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering kaufte vs kaut

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 “kaufte” 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