Which to use
“Kerze” and “Ketzer” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #12,517
- “Kerze” frequency rank
- #30,144
- “Ketzer” frequency rank
- 42661
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Kerze | Ketzer |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Leuchtmittel mit offener Flamme; bestehend aus Wachs | jemand, der kirchliche Dogmen und Glaubenslehren ablehnt und/oder öffentlich kritisiert |
Where the eye mixes Kerze and Ketzer
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. Kerze runs 5 letters (CVCCV) against Ketzer's 6 (CVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: Kerze vs Ketzer
A purely visual mix-up. Kerze ([ˈkɛʁt͡sə]) and Ketzer ([ˈkɛt͡sɐ]) 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 42661, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Kerze is recorded at frequency rank #12,517, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈkɛʁt͡sə]. Ketzer is at rank #30,144, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈkɛt͡sɐ].
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 42661, this pair ranks #1,442,489 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Kerze vs Ketzer
Shared letters: ekrz. Private to "Kerze": -. Private to "Ketzer": t.
"Kerze" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV · "Ketzer" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "Kerze" and "Ketzer" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "Kerze" vs "Ketzer" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "Kerze" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Ketzer" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,442,489 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Kerze" and "Ketzer" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Ketzer vs Kutter". 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 #1,442,489 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.