kehrvsKuhWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: kehr is a verb, Kuh is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“kehr” is a verb and “Kuh” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#36,440
“kehr” frequency rank
#6,555
“Kuh” frequency rank
42995
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature kehr Kuh
Definition 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs kehren Muttertier des Hausrinds

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set kehr and Kuh apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
kehr
3 ch
Kuh

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: kehr is [keːɐ̯] while Kuh is [kuː]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 42995, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

kehr is recorded at frequency rank #36,440, classified as averb, pronounced [keːɐ̯]. Kuh is at rank #6,555, tagged as anoun, pronounced [kuː].

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 42995, this pair ranks #1,431,879 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of kehr vs Kuh

Shared letters: hk. Private to "kehr": er. Private to "Kuh": u.

"kehr" · 4 letters · shape CVCC  ·  "Kuh" · 3 letters · shape CVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • kehrekhr · kehhr · kehrr · kerh · kher · kkehr

Frequency comparison

kehr#36,440
Kuh#6,555

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "kehr" and "Kuh" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "kehr" is a verb and "Kuh" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "kehr" or "Kuh"?
"Kuh" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #6,555 in our German list, against #36,440 for "kehr". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering kehr vs Kuh

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “kehr”; for a noun, it's “Kuh”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “kehr” 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