Which to use
“kosten” is a verb and “Kostüm” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #570
- “kosten” frequency rank
- #8,740
- “Kostüm” frequency rank
- 9310
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | kosten | Kostüm |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | [jemandem] etwas (zum Beispiel in Form von Geld) wert sein, einen Wert oder bestimmten Preis haben | Damenkleidung, die aus Rock und Jacke besteht |
Where the eye mixes kosten and Kostüm
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between kosten and Kostüm
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: kosten is [ˈkɔstn̩] while Kostüm is [kɔsˈtyːm]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 9310, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
kosten is recorded at frequency rank #570, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈkɔstn̩]. 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 9310, this pair ranks #1,980,564 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of kosten vs Kostüm
Shared letters: kost. Private to "kosten": en. Private to "Kostüm": mü.
"kosten" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "Kostüm" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- kosten ← kkosten · kosetn · kossten · kostenn · kostne · kostten · kotsen · ksoten
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "kosten" and "Kostüm" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "kosten" vs "Kostüm" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "kosten" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Kostüm" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,980,564 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "kosten" and "Kostüm" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Kontur vs Kostüm". 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 #1,980,564 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.