Which to use
“köstlich” and “künstlich” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #12,750
- “köstlich” frequency rank
- #8,237
- “künstlich” frequency rank
- 20987
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | köstlich | künstlich |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | von ungewöhnlich gutem Geschmack, die Sinne erfreuend | nicht natürlich, sondern technisch nach Vorbildern aus der Natur nachgebildet |
Where the eye mixes köstlich and künstlich
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. köstlich runs 8 letters (CVCCCVCC) against künstlich's 9 (CVCCCCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between köstlich and künstlich
A purely visual mix-up. köstlich ([ˈkœstlɪç]) and künstlich ([ˈkʏnstlɪç]) 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 20987, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
köstlich is recorded at frequency rank #12,750, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈkœstlɪç]. künstlich is at rank #8,237, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈkʏnstlɪç].
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 20987, this pair ranks #1,891,456 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of köstlich vs künstlich
Shared letters: chiklst. Private to "köstlich": ö. Private to "künstlich": nü.
"köstlich" · 8 letters · shape CVCCCVCC · "künstlich" · 9 letters · shape CVCCCCVCC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "köstlich" and "künstlich" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "köstlich" vs "künstlich" - 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 "köstlich" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "künstlich" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,891,456 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "köstlich" and "künstlich" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "köstlich vs köstliches". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,891,456 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.