kosten vs Kostümen, What's the Difference?

Which to use

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

#570
“kosten” frequency rank: #32,134
“Kostümen” frequency rank: 32704
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	kosten	Kostümen
Definition	[jemandem] etwas (zum Beispiel in Form von Geld) wert sein, einen Wert oder bestimmten Preis haben	Dativ Plural des Substantivs Kostüm

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set kosten and Kostümen apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch

kosten

8 ch

Kostümen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: kosten is [ˈkɔstn̩] while Kostümen is [kɔsˈtyːmən]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 32704, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

kosten is recorded at frequency rank #570, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈkɔstn̩]. Kostümen is at rank #32,134, tagged as anoun, pronounced [kɔsˈtyːmən].

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 32704, this pair ranks #1,701,837 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of kosten vs Kostümen

Shared letters: eknost. Private to "kosten": -. Private to "Kostümen": mü.

"kosten" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "Kostümen" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

kosten ← kkosten · kosetn · kossten · kostenn · kostne · kostten · kotsen · ksoten

Frequency comparison

kosten#570

Kostümen#32,134

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "kosten" and "Kostümen" be used interchangeably?

No - they are not even the same part of speech. "kosten" is a verb and "Kostümen" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.

Which is more common, "kosten" or "Kostümen"?

"kosten" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #570 in our German list, against #32,134 for "Kostümen". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering kosten vs Kostümen

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “kosten”; for a noun, it's “Kostümen”.
See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “kosten” entry
Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable