Which to use
“kost” is a verb and “Kostüm” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #13,418
- “kost” frequency rank
- #8,740
- “Kostüm” frequency rank
- 22158
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | kost | Kostüm |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 2. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs kosen | Damenkleidung, die aus Rock und Jacke besteht |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set kost and Kostüm apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: kost is [koːst] while Kostüm is [kɔsˈtyːm]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “kost” sits inside “Kostüm”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 22158, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
kost is recorded at frequency rank #13,418, classified as averb, pronounced [koːst]. Kostüm is at rank #8,740, tagged as anoun, pronounced [kɔsˈtyːm].
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 22158, this pair ranks #1,877,592 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of kost vs Kostüm
Shared letters: kost. Private to "kost": -. Private to "Kostüm": mü.
"kost" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "Kostüm" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- kost ← kkost · kosst · kostt · kots · ksot · okst
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "kost" and "Kostüm" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "kost" or "Kostüm"?
Remembering kost vs Kostüm
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “kost”; for a noun, it's “Kostüm”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “kost” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable