kontaktierevskontaktierenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#38,857
“kontaktiere” frequency rank
#11,276
“kontaktieren” frequency rank
50133
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature kontaktiere kontaktieren
Definition 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs kontaktieren Verbindung aufnehmen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set kontaktiere and kontaktieren apart are highlighted. They share 11 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

11 ch
kontaktiere
12 ch
kontaktieren

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. kontaktiere ([kɔntakˈtiːʁə]) and kontaktieren ([kɔntakˈtiːʁən]) 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) - “kontaktiere” sits inside “kontaktieren”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 50133, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

kontaktiere is recorded at frequency rank #38,857, classified as averb, pronounced [kɔntakˈtiːʁə]. kontaktieren is at rank #11,276, tagged as averb, pronounced [kɔntakˈtiːʁən].

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 50133, this pair ranks #1,185,409 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of kontaktiere vs kontaktieren

Shared letters: aeiknort. Private to "kontaktiere": -. Private to "kontaktieren": -.

"kontaktiere" · 11 letters · shape CVCCVCCVVCV  ·  "kontaktieren" · 12 letters · shape CVCCVCCVVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • kontaktierekkontaktiere · knotaktiere · konatktiere · konntaktiere · kontakitere · kontakktiere · kontakteire · kontaktieer
  • kontaktierenkkontaktieren · knotaktieren · konatktieren · konntaktieren · kontakiteren · kontakktieren · kontakteiren · kontaktieern

Frequency comparison

kontaktiere#38,857
kontaktieren#11,276

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "kontaktiere" and "kontaktieren" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([kɔntakˈtiːʁə] versus [kɔntakˈtiːʁən]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "kontaktiere" or "kontaktieren"?
"kontaktieren" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #11,276 in our German list, against #38,857 for "kontaktiere". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering kontaktiere vs kontaktieren

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 “kontaktiere” 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