KonzeptionvsKonzessionWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#9,579
“Konzeption” frequency rank
#27,380
“Konzession” frequency rank
36959
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Konzeption Konzession
Definition Entwurf, Grundidee, die einem Projekt oder einem wissenschaftlichen oder künstlerischen Werk zugrunde liegt Zugeständnis

Where the eye mixes Konzeption and Konzession

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. Konzeption and Konzession follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCCVCCVVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.

10 ch
Konzeption
10 ch
Konzession

Visual trap between Konzeption and Konzession

A purely visual mix-up. Konzeption ([kɔnt͡sɛpˈt͡si̯oːn]) and Konzession ([ˌkɔnt͡sɛˈsi̯oːn]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 36959, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Konzeption is recorded at frequency rank #9,579, classified as anoun, pronounced [kɔnt͡sɛpˈt͡si̯oːn]. Konzession is at rank #27,380, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˌkɔnt͡sɛˈsi̯oːn].

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 36959, this pair ranks #1,602,341 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Konzeption vs Konzession

Shared letters: eiknoz. Private to "Konzeption": pt. Private to "Konzession": s.

"Konzeption" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVCCVVC  ·  "Konzession" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVCCVVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Konzeption ← kkonzeption · knozeption · konezption · konnzeption · konzepiton · konzepption · konzeptino · konzeptionn
  • Konzession ← kkonzession · knozession · konezssion · konnzession · konzesion · konzesison · konzessino · konzessionn

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "Konzeption" for "Konzession" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([kɔnt͡sɛpˈt͡si̯oːn] versus [ˌkɔnt͡sɛˈsi̯oːn]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "Konzeption" vs "Konzession" - which ranks higher?
"Konzeption" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #9,579 in our German list, against #27,380 for "Konzession". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Konzeption" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Konzession" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,602,341 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Konzeption" and "Konzession" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Konzession vs Konzessionen". 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 #1,602,341 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