Which to use
“keine” is an unknown and “Kernen” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #79
- “keine” frequency rank
- #32,117
- “Kernen” frequency rank
- 32196
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | keine | Kernen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Nominativ Singular Femininum attributiv des Indefinitpronomens kein | Dativ Plural des Substantivs Kern |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set keine and Kernen apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: keine is [ˈkaɪ̯nə] while Kernen is [ˈkɛʁnən]. 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 (unknown vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 32196, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
keine is recorded at frequency rank #79, classified as anunknown, pronounced [ˈkaɪ̯nə]. Kernen is at rank #32,117, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈkɛʁnən].
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 32196, this pair ranks #1,712,681 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of keine vs Kernen
Shared letters: ekn. Private to "keine": i. Private to "Kernen": r.
"keine" · 5 letters · shape CVVCV · "Kernen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "keine" and "Kernen" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "keine" or "Kernen"?
Remembering keine vs Kernen
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an unknown, it's “keine”; for a noun, it's “Kernen”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “keine” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable