KirchevsKräheWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#619
“Kirche” frequency rank
#36,466
“Krähe” frequency rank
37085
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Kirche Krähe
Definition geweihter Versammlungsort einer christlichen Glaubensgemeinschaft, in dem unter anderem Gottesdienste abgehalten werden; Gebäude, das zum Abhalten christlicher Rituale vorgesehen ist ein Rabenvogel mit starkem Schnabel (mittelgroße Arten der Gattung Corvus)

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
Kirche
5 ch
Krähe

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Kirche ([ˈkɪʁçə]) and Krähe ([ˈkʁɛːə]) 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 37085, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Kirche is recorded at frequency rank #619, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈkɪʁçə]. Krähe is at rank #36,466, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈkʁɛːə].

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 37085, this pair ranks #1,599,215 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Kirche vs Krähe

Shared letters: ehkr. Private to "Kirche": ci. Private to "Krähe": ä.

"Kirche" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCV  ·  "Krähe" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Kircheikrche · kicrhe · kircche · kirceh · kirchhe · kirhce · kirrche · kkirche

Frequency comparison

Kirche#619
Krähe#36,466

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Kirche" and "Krähe" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈkɪʁçə] versus [ˈkʁɛːə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Kirche" or "Krähe"?
"Kirche" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #619 in our German list, against #36,466 for "Krähe". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering Kirche vs Krähe

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 “Kirche” 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