kostenfreivskostenfreienWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#12,328
“kostenfrei” frequency rank
#43,302
“kostenfreien” frequency rank
55630
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature kostenfrei kostenfreien
Definition so, dass kein Geld für eine Ware oder Dienstleistung bezahlt werden muss Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs kostenfrei

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set kostenfrei and kostenfreien apart are highlighted. They share 10 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

10 ch
kostenfrei
12 ch
kostenfreien

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. kostenfrei ([ˈkɔstn̩ˌfʁaɪ̯]) and kostenfreien ([ˈkɔstn̩ˌfʁaɪ̯ən]) 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 2 extra letter(s) - “kostenfrei” sits inside “kostenfreien”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 55630, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

kostenfrei is recorded at frequency rank #12,328, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈkɔstn̩ˌfʁaɪ̯]. kostenfreien is at rank #43,302, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈkɔstn̩ˌfʁaɪ̯ən].

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 55630, this pair ranks #972,103 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of kostenfrei vs kostenfreien

Shared letters: efiknorst. Private to "kostenfrei": -. Private to "kostenfreien": -.

"kostenfrei" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVCCCVV  ·  "kostenfreien" · 12 letters · shape CVCCVCCCVVVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • kostenfreikkostenfrei · kosetnfrei · kosstenfrei · kostefnrei · kostenferi · kostenffrei · kostenfrie · kostenfrrei
  • kostenfreienkkostenfreien · kosetnfreien · kosstenfreien · kostefnreien · kostenferien · kostenffreien · kostenfreein · kostenfreienn

Frequency comparison

kostenfrei#12,328
kostenfreien#43,302

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "kostenfrei" and "kostenfreien" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈkɔstn̩ˌfʁaɪ̯] versus [ˈkɔstn̩ˌfʁaɪ̯ən]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "kostenfrei" or "kostenfreien"?
"kostenfrei" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #12,328 in our German list, against #43,302 for "kostenfreien". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering kostenfrei vs kostenfreien

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 “kostenfrei” 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