KosakenvskostenWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#33,683
“Kosaken” frequency rank
#570
“kosten” frequency rank
34253
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Kosaken kosten
Definition Genitiv Singular des Substantivs Kosak [jemandem] etwas (zum Beispiel in Form von Geld) wert sein, einen Wert oder bestimmten Preis haben

Where the spellings diverge

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

7 ch
Kosaken
6 ch
kosten

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Kosaken is [koˈzakn̩] while kosten is [ˈkɔstn̩]. 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 (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 34253, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Kosaken is recorded at frequency rank #33,683, classified as anoun, pronounced [koˈzakn̩]. kosten is at rank #570, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈkɔstn̩].

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 34253, this pair ranks #1,667,562 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Kosaken vs kosten

Shared letters: eknos. Private to "Kosaken": a. Private to "kosten": t.

"Kosaken" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC  ·  "kosten" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Kosakenkkosaken · koasken · kosaekn · kosakenn · kosakken · kosakne · koskaen · kossaken
  • kostenkkosten · kosetn · kossten · kostenn · kostne · kostten · kotsen · ksoten

Frequency comparison

Kosaken#33,683
kosten#570

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Kosaken" and "kosten" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "Kosaken" is a noun and "kosten" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "Kosaken" or "kosten"?
"kosten" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #570 in our German list, against #33,683 for "Kosaken". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering Kosaken vs kosten

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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