kompaktvsKontaktWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: kompakt is a adjective, Kontakt is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“kompakt” is an adjective and “Kontakt” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#12,954
“kompakt” frequency rank
#1,232
“Kontakt” frequency rank
14186
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature kompakt Kontakt
Definition dicht gefügt, ohne große Zwischenräume, wenig Raum beanspruchend allgemein Berührung oder Verbindung

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set kompakt and Kontakt apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
kompakt
7 ch
Kontakt

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: kompakt is [kɔmˈpakt] while Kontakt is [kɔnˈtakt]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 14186, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

kompakt is recorded at frequency rank #12,954, classified as anadj, pronounced [kɔmˈpakt]. Kontakt is at rank #1,232, tagged as anoun, pronounced [kɔnˈtakt].

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 14186, this pair ranks #1,952,987 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of kompakt vs Kontakt

Shared letters: akot. Private to "kompakt": mp. Private to "Kontakt": n.

"kompakt" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC  ·  "Kontakt" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • kompaktkkompakt · kmopakt · komapkt · kommpakt · kompakkt · kompaktt · kompatk · kompkat
  • Kontaktkkontakt · knotakt · konatkt · konntakt · kontakkt · kontaktt · kontatk · kontkat

Frequency comparison

kompakt#12,954
Kontakt#1,232

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "kompakt" and "Kontakt" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "kompakt" is an adjective and "Kontakt" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "kompakt" or "Kontakt"?
"Kontakt" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,232 in our German list, against #12,954 for "kompakt". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering kompakt vs Kontakt

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “kompakt”; for a noun, it's “Kontakt”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “kompakt” 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