KopplungvsKupplungTell them apart

Which to use

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

#28,738
“Kopplung” frequency rank
#24,417
“Kupplung” frequency rank
53155
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Kopplung Kupplung
Definition mechanische, elektromagnetische oder gedankliche Verbindung Maschinenelement, das zwei drehbare Teile verbindet, um ein Drehmoment zu übertragen

Where the eye mixes Kopplung and Kupplung

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence.

8 ch
Kopplung
8 ch
Kupplung

Why the eye confuses Kopplung with Kupplung

A purely visual mix-up. Kopplung ([ˈkɔplʊŋ]) and Kupplung ([ˈkʊplʊŋ]) 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 a single letter - o in “Kopplung” becomes u in “Kupplung”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 53155, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Kopplung is recorded at frequency rank #28,738, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈkɔplʊŋ]. Kupplung is at rank #24,417, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈkʊplʊŋ].

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 53155, this pair ranks #1,069,057 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Kopplung vs Kupplung

Shared letters: gklnpu. Private to "Kopplung": o. Private to "Kupplung": -.

"Kopplung" · 8 letters · shape CVCCCVCC  ·  "Kupplung" · 8 letters · shape CVCCCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Kopplungkkopplung · koplpung · koplung · koppllung · kopplnug · kopplugn · kopplungg · kopplunng
  • Kupplungkkupplung · kpuplung · kuplpung · kuplung · kuppllung · kupplnug · kupplugn · kupplungg

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Kopplung" and "Kupplung" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈkɔplʊŋ] versus [ˈkʊplʊŋ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Kopplung" or "Kupplung"?
"Kupplung" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #24,417 in our German list, against #28,738 for "Kopplung". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Eye-level mix-up between "Kopplung" and "Kupplung" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Kopplung" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Kupplung" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,069,057 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Kopplung" and "Kupplung" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Kühlung vs Kupplung". 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 #1,069,057 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