köstlichevskünstlicheWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#29,668
“köstliche” frequency rank
#6,824
“künstliche” frequency rank
36492
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature köstliche künstliche
Definition Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs köstlich Nominativ Singular Femininum Positiv der starken Flexion des Adjektivs künstlich

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set köstliche and künstliche apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

9 ch
köstliche
10 ch
künstliche

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. köstliche ([ˈkœstlɪçə]) and künstliche ([ˈkʏnstlɪçə]) 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 36492, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

köstliche is recorded at frequency rank #29,668, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈkœstlɪçə]. künstliche is at rank #6,824, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈkʏnstlɪçə].

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 36492, this pair ranks #1,614,249 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of köstliche vs künstliche

Shared letters: cehiklst. Private to "köstliche": ö. Private to "künstliche": .

"köstliche" · 9 letters · shape CVCCCVCCV  ·  "künstliche" · 10 letters · shape CVCCCCVCCV

Frequency comparison

köstliche#29,668
künstliche#6,824

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "köstliche" and "künstliche" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈkœstlɪçə] versus [ˈkʏnstlɪçə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "köstliche" or "künstliche"?
"künstliche" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #6,824 in our German list, against #29,668 for "köstliche". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering köstliche vs künstliche

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 “köstliche” 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