KohlevsKotzeWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#3,464
“Kohle” frequency rank
#24,411
“Kotze” frequency rank
27875
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Kohle Kotze
Definition dunkelbraune oder schwarze, stark kohlenstoffhaltige, brennbare Substanz, meist aus fossilisierten Pflanzen entstanden das Erbrochene

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Kohle and Kotze apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
Kohle
5 ch
Kotze

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Kohle ([ˈkoːlə]) and Kotze ([ˈkɔt͡sə]) 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 27875, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Kohle is recorded at frequency rank #3,464, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈkoːlə]. Kotze is at rank #24,411, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈkɔt͡sə].

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 27875, this pair ranks #1,794,402 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Kohle vs Kotze

Shared letters: eko. Private to "Kohle": hl. Private to "Kotze": tz.

"Kohle" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV  ·  "Kotze" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Kohlekhole · kkohle · kohel · kohhle · kohlle · kolhe · okhle
  • Kotzekkotze · kotez · kottze · kotzze · kozte · ktoze · oktze

Frequency comparison

Kohle#3,464
Kotze#24,411

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Kohle" and "Kotze" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈkoːlə] versus [ˈkɔt͡sə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Kohle" or "Kotze"?
"Kohle" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,464 in our German list, against #24,411 for "Kotze". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Kohle vs Kotze

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 “Kohle” 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