kickenvskittenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#28,270
“kicken” frequency rank
#46,071
“kitten” frequency rank
74341
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature kicken kitten
Definition etwas oder jemanden treten etwas mithilfe von Kitt zusammenkleben

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set kicken and kitten apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
kicken
6 ch
kitten

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. kicken ([ˈkɪkn̩]) and kitten ([ˈkɪtn̩]) 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 74341, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

kicken is recorded at frequency rank #28,270, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈkɪkn̩]. kitten is at rank #46,071, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈkɪtn̩].

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 74341, this pair ranks #336,048 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of kicken vs kitten

Shared letters: eikn. Private to "kicken": c. Private to "kitten": t.

"kicken" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "kitten" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • kickenikcken · kciken · kiccken · kicekn · kickenn · kickken · kickne · kikcen
  • kitteniktten · kiten · kitetn · kittenn · kittne · kkitten · ktiten

Frequency comparison

kicken#28,270
kitten#46,071

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "kicken" and "kitten" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈkɪkn̩] versus [ˈkɪtn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "kicken" or "kitten"?
"kicken" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #28,270 in our German list, against #46,071 for "kitten". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering kicken vs kitten

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “kicken” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list