Which to use
“kneten” and “kosten” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #40,644
- “kneten” frequency rank
- #570
- “kosten” frequency rank
- 41214
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | kneten | kosten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | eine halbfeste Masse / einen Teig mit den Händen oder mit einer Maschine vermischen und verformen; durch Rühren, Pressen und Ziehen die Eigenschaft einer halbfesten Masse / eines Teigs ändern; mit den Händen drückend bearbeiten | [jemandem] etwas (zum Beispiel in Form von Geld) wert sein, einen Wert oder bestimmten Preis haben |
Where the eye mixes kneten and kosten
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. kneten (CCVCVC) and kosten (CVCCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses kneten with kosten
A purely visual mix-up. kneten ([ˈkneːtn̩]) 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 41214, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
kneten is recorded at frequency rank #40,644, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈkneːtn̩]. 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 41214, this pair ranks #1,486,046 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of kneten vs kosten
Shared letters: eknt. Private to "kneten": -. Private to "kosten": os.
"kneten" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC · "kosten" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "kneten" for "kosten" ever safe?
Which is more common, "kneten" or "kosten"?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "kneten" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "kosten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,486,046 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "kneten" and "kosten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "kneifen vs kneten". 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 #1,486,046 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.