keinemvskeinenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#1,926
“keinem” frequency rank
#235
“keinen” frequency rank
2161
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature keinem keinen
Definition Dativ Singular Maskulinum des Indefinitpronomens kein Akkusativ Singular Maskulinum des Indefinitpronomens keiner

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set keinem and keinen apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
keinem
6 ch
keinen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

keinem and keinen form a confusable pair in the German index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by a single letter - m in “keinem” becomes n in “keinen” - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 2161, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

keinem is recorded at frequency rank #1,926, classified as anunknown, pronounced [ˈkaɪ̯nəm]. keinen is at rank #235, tagged as anunknown, pronounced [ˈkaɪ̯nən].

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 2161, this pair ranks #2,002,962 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Frequency comparison

keinem#1,926
keinen#235

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "keinem" and "keinen" be used interchangeably?
No, "keinem" and "keinen" have distinct meanings and cannot be swapped without changing the meaning of a sentence. Understanding the specific definition and context for each word is essential for correct usage.

Remembering keinem vs keinen

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 “keinem” 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