keepervsKerkerWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#18,596
“keeper” frequency rank
#24,798
“Kerker” frequency rank
43394
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature keeper Kerker
Definition Kurzform für goal keeper/ der Torhüter Gefängnis, Zuchthaus, Justizvollzugsanstalt

Where the eye mixes keeper and Kerker

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.

6 ch
keeper
6 ch
Kerker

Why the eye confuses keeper with Kerker

A purely visual mix-up. keeper ([ˈkiːpəʳ]) and Kerker ([ˈkɛʁkɐ]) 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 43394, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

keeper is recorded at frequency rank #18,596, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈkiːpəʳ]. Kerker is at rank #24,798, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈkɛʁkɐ].

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 43394, this pair ranks #1,419,517 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of keeper vs Kerker

Shared letters: ekr. Private to "keeper": p. Private to "Kerker": -.

"keeper" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC  ·  "Kerker" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • keeperekeper · keeepr · keeperr · keepper · keepre · kepeer · keper · kkeeper
  • Kerkerekrker · kekrer · kerekr · kerkerr · kerkker · kerkre · kerrker · kkerker

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "keeper" and "Kerker" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈkiːpəʳ] versus [ˈkɛʁkɐ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "keeper" vs "Kerker" - which ranks higher?
"keeper" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #18,596 in our German list, against #24,798 for "Kerker". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Eye-level mix-up between "keeper" and "Kerker" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "keeper" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Kerker" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,419,517 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "keeper" and "Kerker" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Kerker vs Korken". 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 #1,419,517 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list