können vs Konten, What's the Difference?

Which to use

“können” is a verb and “Konten” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#82
“können” frequency rank: #8,738
“Konten” frequency rank: 8820
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	können	Konten
Definition	etwas zu tun vermögen	Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Konto

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set können and Konten apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch

können

6 ch

Konten

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: können is [ˈkœnən] while Konten is [ˈkɔntn̩]. 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 (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 8820, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

können is recorded at frequency rank #82, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈkœnən]. Konten is at rank #8,738, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈkɔntn̩].

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 8820, this pair ranks #1,982,679 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of können vs Konten

Shared letters: ekn. Private to "können": ö. Private to "Konten": ot.

"können" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "Konten" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

Konten ← kkonten · konetn · konnten · kontenn · kontten · kotnen · oknten

Frequency comparison

können#82

Konten#8,738

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "können" and "Konten" be used interchangeably?

No - they are not even the same part of speech. "können" is a verb and "Konten" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.

Which is more common, "können" or "Konten"?

"können" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #82 in our German list, against #8,738 for "Konten". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering können vs Konten

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “können”; for a noun, it's “Konten”.
See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “können” entry
Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable