KöpfevsKörbeWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#5,006
“Köpfe” frequency rank
#29,667
“Körbe” frequency rank
34673
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Köpfe Körbe
Definition Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Kopf Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Korb

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Köpfe and Körbe apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
Köpfe
5 ch
Körbe

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Köpfe ([ˈkœp͡fə]) and Körbe ([ˈkœʁbə]) 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 34673, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Köpfe is recorded at frequency rank #5,006, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈkœp͡fə]. Körbe is at rank #29,667, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈkœʁbə].

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 34673, this pair ranks #1,657,927 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Köpfe vs Körbe

Shared letters: ekö. Private to "Köpfe": fp. Private to "Körbe": br.

"Köpfe" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV  ·  "Körbe" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV

Frequency comparison

Köpfe#5,006
Körbe#29,667

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Köpfe" and "Körbe" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈkœp͡fə] versus [ˈkœʁbə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Köpfe" or "Körbe"?
"Köpfe" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,006 in our German list, against #29,667 for "Körbe". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Köpfe vs Körbe

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 “Köpfe” 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