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 eye mixes kostenfrei and kostenfreien
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 10 letters in sequence. kostenfrei runs 10 letters (CVCCVCCCVV) against kostenfreien's 12 (CVCCVCCCVVVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between kostenfrei and kostenfreien
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
- kostenfrei ← kkostenfrei · kosetnfrei · kosstenfrei · kostefnrei · kostenferi · kostenffrei · kostenfrie · kostenfrrei
- kostenfreien ← kkostenfreien · kosetnfreien · kosstenfreien · kostefnreien · kostenferien · kostenffreien · kostenfreein · kostenfreienn
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "kostenfrei" and "kostenfreien" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "kostenfrei" or "kostenfreien"?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "kostenfrei" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "kostenfreien" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #972,103 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "kostenfrei" and "kostenfreien" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "kostenfreie vs kostenfreien". 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 #972,103 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.