Which to use
“Kerle” and “Kern” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #9,745
- “Kerle” frequency rank
- #2,602
- “Kern” frequency rank
- 12347
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Kerle | Kern |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Variante für den Dativ Singular des Substantivs Kerl | in der Mitte befindlicher Hauptbestandteil eines Ganzen; Basis, Zentrum |
Where the eye mixes Kerle and Kern
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: Kerle vs Kern
A purely visual mix-up. Kerle ([ˈkɛʁlə]) 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 12347, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Kerle is recorded at frequency rank #9,745, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈkɛʁlə]. 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 12347, this pair ranks #1,964,707 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Kerle vs Kern
Shared letters: ekr. Private to "Kerle": l. Private to "Kern": n.
"Kerle" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV · "Kern" · 4 letters · shape CVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "Kerle" and "Kern" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary German text, does "Kerle" or "Kern" show up more?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "Kerle" 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 #1,964,707 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Kerle" and "Kern" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Kerle vs Kölle". 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 #1,964,707 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.