Which to use
“kochen” and “kosten” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,506
- “kochen” frequency rank
- #570
- “kosten” frequency rank
- 3076
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | kochen | kosten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Lebensmittel unter Einwirkung von Hitze zu einer Mahlzeit zubereiten | [jemandem] etwas (zum Beispiel in Form von Geld) wert sein, einen Wert oder bestimmten Preis haben |
Where the eye mixes kochen and kosten
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between kochen and kosten
A purely visual mix-up. kochen ([ˈkɔxn̩]) 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 3076, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
kochen is recorded at frequency rank #2,506, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈkɔxn̩]. 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 3076, this pair ranks #2,000,994 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of kochen vs kosten
Shared letters: ekno. Private to "kochen": ch. Private to "kosten": st.
"kochen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "kosten" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "kochen" for "kosten" ever safe?
Which is more common, "kochen" or "kosten"?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "kochen" and "kosten" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "kochen" 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 #2,000,994 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "kochen" and "kosten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "kochen vs kucken". 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 #2,000,994 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.