KettenvsKutterWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

“Ketten” and “Kutter” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#7,780
“Ketten” frequency rank
#48,290
“Kutter” frequency rank
56070
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Ketten Kutter
Definition Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Kette einmastiger, seetüchtiger Segler für Sport und Frachtbeförderung

Where the eye mixes Ketten and Kutter

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.

6 ch
Ketten
6 ch
Kutter

Why the eye confuses Ketten with Kutter

A purely visual mix-up. Ketten ([ˈkɛtn̩]) and Kutter ([ˈkʊtɐ]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 56070, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Ketten is recorded at frequency rank #7,780, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈkɛtn̩]. Kutter is at rank #48,290, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈkʊtɐ].

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 56070, this pair ranks #954,773 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Ketten vs Kutter

Shared letters: ekt. Private to "Ketten": n. Private to "Kutter": ru.

"Ketten" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "Kutter" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Kettenektten · keten · ketetn · kettenn · kettne · kketten · kteten
  • Kutterkkutter · ktuter · kuter · kutetr · kutterr · kuttre · uktter

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Ketten" and "Kutter" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈkɛtn̩] versus [ˈkʊtɐ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Ketten" or "Kutter"?
"Ketten" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #7,780 in our German list, against #48,290 for "Kutter". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Ketten" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Kutter" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #954,773 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Ketten" and "Kutter" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "kitten 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 #954,773 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list