KoffervsKonterWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#4,903
“Koffer” frequency rank
#17,054
“Konter” frequency rank
21957
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Koffer Konter
Definition Transportbehältnis für Kleidung, Akten oder andere Gegenstände schnell ausgeführter Gegenangriff der in die Defensive geratenen Mannschaft

Where the eye mixes Koffer and Konter

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. Koffer and Konter follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.

6 ch
Koffer
6 ch
Konter

Why the eye confuses Koffer with Konter

A purely visual mix-up. Koffer ([ˈkɔfɐ]) and Konter ([ˈkɔntɐ]) 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 21957, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Koffer is recorded at frequency rank #4,903, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈkɔfɐ]. Konter is at rank #17,054, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈkɔntɐ].

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 21957, this pair ranks #1,880,124 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Koffer vs Konter

Shared letters: ekor. Private to "Koffer": f. Private to "Konter": nt.

"Koffer" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "Konter" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Koffer ← kfofer · kkoffer · kofefr · kofer · kofferr · koffre · okffer
  • Konter ← kkonter · knoter · konetr · konnter · konterr · kontre · kontter · kotner

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Koffer" and "Konter" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈkɔfɐ] versus [ˈkɔntɐ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Koffer" or "Konter"?
"Koffer" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,903 in our German list, against #17,054 for "Konter". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Koffer" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Konter" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,880,124 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Koffer" and "Konter" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Konter vs Kutter". 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 #1,880,124 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list