kontroversvsKontroverseWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: kontrovers is a adjective, Kontroverse is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“kontrovers” is an adjective and “Kontroverse” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#16,205
“kontrovers” frequency rank
#12,955
“Kontroverse” frequency rank
29160
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature kontrovers Kontroverse
Definition entgegengesetzt, sich widersprechend länger anhaltender Disput, heftiger Streit (aufgrund unterschiedlicher oder gegensätzlicher Beurteilungen, Einschätzungen, Meinungen bezüglich eines bestimmten Sachthemas)

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set kontrovers and Kontroverse apart are highlighted. They share 10 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

10 ch
kontrovers
11 ch
Kontroverse

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: kontrovers is [kɔntʁoˈvɛʁs] while Kontroverse is [ˌkɔntʁoˈvɛʁzə]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “kontrovers” sits inside “Kontroverse”, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 29160, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

kontrovers is recorded at frequency rank #16,205, classified as anadj, pronounced [kɔntʁoˈvɛʁs]. Kontroverse is at rank #12,955, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˌkɔntʁoˈvɛʁzə].

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 29160, this pair ranks #1,771,913 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of kontrovers vs Kontroverse

Shared letters: eknorstv. Private to "kontrovers": -. Private to "Kontroverse": -.

"kontrovers" · 10 letters · shape CVCCCVCVCC  ·  "Kontroverse" · 11 letters · shape CVCCCVCVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • kontroverskkontrovers · knotrovers · konntrovers · konrtovers · kontorvers · kontroevrs · kontroverrs · kontroverss
  • Kontroversekkontroverse · knotroverse · konntroverse · konrtoverse · kontorverse · kontroevrse · kontroveres · kontroverrse

Frequency comparison

kontrovers#16,205
Kontroverse#12,955

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "kontrovers" and "Kontroverse" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "kontrovers" is an adjective and "Kontroverse" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "kontrovers" or "Kontroverse"?
"Kontroverse" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #12,955 in our German list, against #16,205 for "kontrovers". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering kontrovers vs Kontroverse

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “kontrovers”; for a noun, it's “Kontroverse”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “kontrovers” 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