Which to use
“Köln” is a name and “Kölns” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #704
- “Köln” frequency rank
- #37,638
- “Kölns” frequency rank
- 38342
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Köln | Kölns |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Stadt in Nordrhein-Westfalen, viertgrößte Stadt Deutschlands, gelegen am Rhein | Genitiv Singular des Substantivs Köln |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Köln and Kölns apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Köln is [kœln] while Kölns is [kœlns]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “Köln” sits inside “Kölns”, and the parts of speech differ too (name vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 38342, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Köln is recorded at frequency rank #704, classified as aname, pronounced [kœln]. Kölns is at rank #37,638, tagged as anoun, pronounced [kœlns].
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 38342, this pair ranks #1,566,471 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Köln vs Kölns
Shared letters: klnö. Private to "Köln": -. Private to "Kölns": s.
"Köln" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "Kölns" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Köln" and "Kölns" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "Köln" or "Kölns"?
Remembering Köln vs Kölns
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a name, it's “Köln”; for a noun, it's “Kölns”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “Köln” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable