Which to use
“Kellner” and “Kerner” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #9,576
- “Kellner” frequency rank
- #32,619
- “Kerner” frequency rank
- 42195
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Kellner | Kerner |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Angestellter in der Gastronomie, dessen Aufgabe die Bedienung der Gäste ist | eine weiße Rebsorte, die 1929 aus einer Kreuzung von Trollinger und Riesling hervorgegangen ist (durchgeführt von August Herold an der Staatlichen Lehr- und Versuchsanstalt für Wein-, Obst- und Gartenbau in Weinsberg) |
Where the eye mixes Kellner and Kerner
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses Kellner with Kerner
A purely visual mix-up. Kellner ([ˈkɛlnɐ]) and Kerner ([ˈkɛʁnɐ]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 42195, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Kellner is recorded at frequency rank #9,576, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈkɛlnɐ]. Kerner is at rank #32,619, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈkɛʁnɐ].
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 42195, this pair ranks #1,456,744 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Kellner vs Kerner
Shared letters: eknr. Private to "Kellner": l. Private to "Kerner": -.
"Kellner" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC · "Kerner" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Kellner" for "Kerner" ever safe?
Which is more common, "Kellner" or "Kerner"?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "Kellner" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Kerner" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,456,744 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Kellner" and "Kerner" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Kerner vs Kerns". 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 #1,456,744 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.