KönigevsKönigenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#6,823
“Könige” frequency rank
#27,819
“Königen” frequency rank
34642
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Könige Königen
Definition Variante für den Dativ Singular des Substantivs König Dativ Plural des Substantivs König

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Könige and Königen apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
Könige
7 ch
Königen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Könige ([ˈkøːnɪɡə]) and Königen ([ˈkøːnɪɡn̩]) 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 extra letter(s) - “Könige” sits inside “Königen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 34642, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Könige is recorded at frequency rank #6,823, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈkøːnɪɡə]. Königen is at rank #27,819, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈkøːnɪɡn̩].

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 34642, this pair ranks #1,658,605 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Könige vs Königen

Shared letters: egiknö. Private to "Könige": -. Private to "Königen": -.

"Könige" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV  ·  "Königen" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC

Frequency comparison

Könige#6,823
Königen#27,819

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Könige" and "Königen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈkøːnɪɡə] versus [ˈkøːnɪɡn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Könige" or "Königen"?
"Könige" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #6,823 in our German list, against #27,819 for "Königen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Könige vs Königen

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 “Könige” 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