keinsvskinWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: keins is a unknown, kin is a num, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“keins” is an unknown and “kin” is a num - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#8,734
“keins” frequency rank
#39,466
“kin” frequency rank
48200
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature keins kin
Definition Nominativ Singular Neutrum nicht attributiv des Indefinitpronomens kein fünf (5)

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set keins and kin apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
keins
3 ch
kin

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: keins is [kaɪ̯ns] while kin is [kin]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (unknown vs num), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 48200, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

keins is recorded at frequency rank #8,734, classified as anunknown, pronounced [kaɪ̯ns]. kin is at rank #39,466, tagged as anum, pronounced [kin].

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 48200, this pair ranks #1,257,222 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of keins vs kin

Shared letters: ikn. Private to "keins": es. Private to "kin": -.

"keins" · 5 letters · shape CVVCC  ·  "kin" · 3 letters · shape CVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • keinsekins · keinns · keinss · keisn · kenis · kiens · kkeins

Frequency comparison

keins#8,734
kin#39,466

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "keins" and "kin" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "keins" is an unknown and "kin" a num, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "keins" or "kin"?
"keins" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #8,734 in our German list, against #39,466 for "kin". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering keins vs kin

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an unknown, it's “keins”; for a num, it's “kin”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “keins” 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