Which to use
“Kerze” is a noun and “kürzt” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #12,517
- “Kerze” frequency rank
- #44,034
- “kürzt” frequency rank
- 56551
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Kerze | kürzt |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Leuchtmittel mit offener Flamme; bestehend aus Wachs | 2. Person Plural Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs kürzen |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Kerze and kürzt apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Kerze is [ˈkɛʁt͡sə] while kürzt is [kʏʁt͡st]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 56551, 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]. kürzt is at rank #44,034, tagged as averb, pronounced [kʏʁt͡st].
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 56551, this pair ranks #935,838 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Kerze vs kürzt
Shared letters: krz. Private to "Kerze": e. Private to "kürzt": tü.
"Kerze" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV · "kürzt" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- Kerze ← ekrze · kerez · kerrze · kerzze · kezre · kkerze · kreze
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Kerze" and "kürzt" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "Kerze" or "kürzt"?
Remembering Kerze vs kürzt
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “Kerze”; for a verb, it's “kürzt”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “Kerze” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable