KolbenvsKörbeConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#21,666
“Kolben” frequency rank
#29,667
“Körbe” frequency rank
51333
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Kolben Körbe
Definition eine Keule oder ihr dickes Ende Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Korb

Where the eye mixes Kolben and Körbe

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. Kolben runs 6 letters (CVCCVC) against Körbe's 5 (CVCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

6 ch
Kolben
5 ch
Körbe

Why the eye confuses Kolben with Körbe

A purely visual mix-up. Kolben ([ˈkɔlbn̩]) and Körbe ([ˈkœʁbə]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 51333, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Kolben is recorded at frequency rank #21,666, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈkɔlbn̩]. Körbe is at rank #29,667, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈkœʁbə].

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 51333, this pair ranks #1,139,488 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Kolben vs Körbe

Shared letters: bek. Private to "Kolben": lno. Private to "Körbe": rö.

"Kolben" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "Körbe" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Kolben ← kkolben · kloben · koblen · kolbben · kolbenn · kolbne · kolebn · kollben

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Kolben" and "Körbe" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈkɔlbn̩] versus [ˈkœʁbə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "Kolben" vs "Körbe" - which ranks higher?
"Kolben" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #21,666 in our German list, against #29,667 for "Körbe". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

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

  • Full dictionary entry for "Kolben" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Körbe" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,139,488 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Kolben" and "Körbe" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Kölle vs Körbe". 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 #1,139,488 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