KontaktvsKontaktenWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#1,232
“Kontakt” frequency rank
#17,344
“Kontakten” frequency rank
18576
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Kontakt Kontakten
Definition allgemein Berührung oder Verbindung Dativ Plural des Substantivs Kontakt

Where the eye mixes Kontakt and Kontakten

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. Kontakt runs 7 letters (CVCCVCC) against Kontakten's 9 (CVCCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

7 ch
Kontakt
9 ch
Kontakten

Why the eye confuses Kontakt with Kontakten

A purely visual mix-up. Kontakt ([kɔnˈtakt]) and Kontakten ([kɔnˈtaktn̩]) 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) - “Kontakt” sits inside “Kontakten”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 18576, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Kontakt is recorded at frequency rank #1,232, classified as anoun, pronounced [kɔnˈtakt]. Kontakten is at rank #17,344, tagged as anoun, pronounced [kɔnˈtaktn̩].

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 18576, this pair ranks #1,916,942 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Kontakt vs Kontakten

Shared letters: aknot. Private to "Kontakt": -. Private to "Kontakten": e.

"Kontakt" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC  ·  "Kontakten" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Kontaktkkontakt · knotakt · konatkt · konntakt · kontakkt · kontaktt · kontatk · kontkat
  • Kontaktenkkontakten · knotakten · konatkten · konntakten · kontaketn · kontakkten · kontaktenn · kontaktne

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Kontakt" and "Kontakten" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([kɔnˈtakt] versus [kɔnˈtaktn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "Kontakt" vs "Kontakten" - which ranks higher?
"Kontakt" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,232 in our German list, against #17,344 for "Kontakten". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

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 "Kontakt" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Kontakten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,916,942 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Kontakt" and "Kontakten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Kontakten vs Kontexten". 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 #1,916,942 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list