konternvskontorWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: kontern is a verb, kontor is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

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

#29,197
“kontern” frequency rank
#42,631
“kontor” frequency rank
71828
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature kontern kontor
Definition eine Rede oder Maßnahme mit Gegenrede oder -maßnahmen beantworten Dienststelle oder Geschäftsräumlichkeit, in der verschiedene schriftliche oder verwaltungstechnische Arbeiten erledigt werden

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set kontern and kontor apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
kontern
6 ch
kontor

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: kontern is [ˈkɔntɐn] while kontor is [kɔnˈtoːr]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 71828, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

kontern is recorded at frequency rank #29,197, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈkɔntɐn]. kontor is at rank #42,631, tagged as anoun, pronounced [kɔnˈtoːr].

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 71828, this pair ranks #405,661 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of kontern vs kontor

Shared letters: knort. Private to "kontern": e. Private to "kontor": -.

"kontern" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC  ·  "kontor" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • konternkkontern · knotern · konetrn · konntern · kontenr · konternn · konterrn · kontren
  • kontorkkontor · knotor · konntor · konotr · kontorr · kontro · konttor · kotnor

Frequency comparison

kontern#29,197
kontor#42,631

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "kontern" and "kontor" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "kontern" is a verb and "kontor" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "kontern" or "kontor"?
"kontern" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #29,197 in our German list, against #42,631 for "kontor". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering kontern vs kontor

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “kontern”; for a noun, it's “kontor”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “kontern” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list