kostevsküssteWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#22,800
“koste” frequency rank
#24,811
“küsste” frequency rank
47611
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature koste küsste
Definition 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs kosen 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs küssen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set koste and küsste apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
koste
6 ch
küsste

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. koste ([ˈkoːstə]) and küsste ([ˈkʏstə]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 47611, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

koste is recorded at frequency rank #22,800, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈkoːstə]. küsste is at rank #24,811, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈkʏstə].

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 47611, this pair ranks #1,278,284 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of koste vs küsste

Shared letters: ekst. Private to "koste": o. Private to "küsste": ü.

"koste" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV  ·  "küsste" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • kostekkoste · koset · kosste · kotse · ksote · okste

Frequency comparison

koste#22,800
küsste#24,811

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "koste" and "küsste" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈkoːstə] versus [ˈkʏstə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "koste" or "küsste"?
"koste" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #22,800 in our German list, against #24,811 for "küsste". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering koste vs küsste

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 “koste” 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