Which to use
“können” and “konntet” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #82
- “können” frequency rank
- #46,080
- “konntet” frequency rank
- 46162
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | können | konntet |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | etwas zu tun vermögen | 2. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum des Verbs können |
Where the eye mixes können and konntet
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. können runs 6 letters (CVCCVC) against konntet's 7 (CVCCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses können with konntet
A purely visual mix-up. können ([ˈkœnən]) and konntet ([ˈkɔntət]) 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 46162, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
können is recorded at frequency rank #82, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈkœnən]. konntet is at rank #46,080, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈkɔntət].
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 46162, this pair ranks #1,328,472 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of können vs konntet
Shared letters: ekn. Private to "können": ö. Private to "konntet": ot.
"können" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "konntet" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- konntet ← kkonntet · knontet · konnett · konntett · konnttet · kontet · kontnet · oknntet
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "können" and "konntet" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "können" or "konntet"?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "können" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "konntet" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,328,472 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "können" and "konntet" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "konntet vs kontert". 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 #1,328,472 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.