Which to use
“kosten” and “kostete” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #570
- “kosten” frequency rank
- #9,754
- “kostete” frequency rank
- 10324
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | kosten | kostete |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | [jemandem] etwas (zum Beispiel in Form von Geld) wert sein, einen Wert oder bestimmten Preis haben | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs kosten |
Where the eye mixes kosten and kostete
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. kosten runs 6 letters (CVCCVC) against kostete's 7 (CVCCVCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses kosten with kostete
A purely visual mix-up. kosten ([ˈkɔstn̩]) and kostete ([ˈkɔstətə]) 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 10324, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
kosten is recorded at frequency rank #570, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈkɔstn̩]. kostete is at rank #9,754, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈkɔstətə].
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 10324, this pair ranks #1,975,697 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of kosten vs kostete
Shared letters: ekost. Private to "kosten": n. Private to "kostete": -.
"kosten" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "kostete" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "kosten" and "kostete" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "kosten" vs "kostete" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "kosten" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "kostete" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,975,697 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "kosten" and "kostete" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "kitten vs kosten". 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 #1,975,697 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.