Which to use
“Kerbe” and “Kern” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #36,443
- “Kerbe” frequency rank
- #2,602
- “Kern” frequency rank
- 39045
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Kerbe | Kern |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | eine keilförmige Vertiefung | in der Mitte befindlicher Hauptbestandteil eines Ganzen; Basis, Zentrum |
Where the eye mixes Kerbe and Kern
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses Kerbe with Kern
A purely visual mix-up. Kerbe ([ˈkɛʁbə]) and Kern ([kɛʁn]) 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 39045, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Kerbe is recorded at frequency rank #36,443, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈkɛʁbə]. Kern is at rank #2,602, tagged as anoun, pronounced [kɛʁn].
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 39045, this pair ranks #1,547,581 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Kerbe vs Kern
Shared letters: ekr. Private to "Kerbe": b. Private to "Kern": n.
"Kerbe" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV · "Kern" · 4 letters · shape CVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Kerbe" for "Kern" ever safe?
Frequency check: "Kerbe" vs "Kern" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "Kerbe" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Kern" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,547,581 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Kerbe" and "Kern" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "karge vs Kerbe". 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 #1,547,581 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.