kittenvskostenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#46,071
“kitten” frequency rank
#570
“kosten” frequency rank
46641
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature kitten kosten
Definition etwas mithilfe von Kitt zusammenkleben [jemandem] etwas (zum Beispiel in Form von Geld) wert sein, einen Wert oder bestimmten Preis haben

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
kitten
6 ch
kosten

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. kitten ([ˈkɪtn̩]) and kosten ([ˈkɔstn̩]) 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 46641, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

kitten is recorded at frequency rank #46,071, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈkɪtn̩]. kosten is at rank #570, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈkɔstn̩].

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 46641, this pair ranks #1,312,158 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of kitten vs kosten

Shared letters: eknt. Private to "kitten": i. Private to "kosten": os.

"kitten" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "kosten" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • kitteniktten · kiten · kitetn · kittenn · kittne · kkitten · ktiten
  • kostenkkosten · kosetn · kossten · kostenn · kostne · kostten · kotsen · ksoten

Frequency comparison

kitten#46,071
kosten#570

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "kitten" and "kosten" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈkɪtn̩] versus [ˈkɔstn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "kitten" or "kosten"?
"kosten" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #570 in our German list, against #46,071 for "kitten". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering kitten vs kosten

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 “kitten” 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