Which to use
“König” and “Königin” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #816
- “König” frequency rank
- #2,837
- “Königin” frequency rank
- 3653
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | König | Königin |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | höchster oder historisch hoher (nach dem Kaiser) monarchischer Würdenträger eines Staates, eines Königreiches; Namensbestandteil von Titelbezeichnungen | nach der Kaiserin höchste monarchische Würdenträgerin eines Staates (Königreichs) |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set König and Königin apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. König ([ˈkøːnɪç]) and Königin ([ˈkøːnɪɡɪn]) 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 2 extra letter(s) - “König” sits inside “Königin”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 3653, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
König is recorded at frequency rank #816, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈkøːnɪç]. Königin is at rank #2,837, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈkøːnɪɡɪn].
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 3653, this pair ranks #1,999,703 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of König vs Königin
Shared letters: giknö. Private to "König": -. Private to "Königin": -.
"König" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "Königin" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "König" and "Königin" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "König" or "Königin"?
Remembering König vs Königin
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 “König” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable