Which to use
“Kerbe” and “Kurbel” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #36,443
- “Kerbe” frequency rank
- #37,036
- “Kurbel” frequency rank
- 73479
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Kerbe | Kurbel |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | eine keilförmige Vertiefung | einarmiger Hebel zum kreisenden Bewirken einer Drehung |
Where the eye mixes Kerbe and Kurbel
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. Kerbe runs 5 letters (CVCCV) against Kurbel's 6 (CVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: Kerbe vs Kurbel
A purely visual mix-up. Kerbe ([ˈkɛʁbə]) and Kurbel ([ˈkʊʁbl̩]) 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 73479, 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]. Kurbel is at rank #37,036, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈkʊʁbl̩].
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 73479, this pair ranks #359,257 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of Kerbe vs Kurbel
Shared letters: bekr. Private to "Kerbe": -. Private to "Kurbel": lu.
"Kerbe" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV · "Kurbel" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Kerbe" for "Kurbel" ever safe?
Which is more common, "Kerbe" or "Kurbel"?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "Kerbe" and "Kurbel" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "Kerbe" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Kurbel" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #359,257 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Kerbe" and "Kurbel" 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 #359,257 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.