kostspieligvskostspieligeConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#35,279
“kostspielig” frequency rank
#43,303
“kostspielige” frequency rank
78582
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature kostspielig kostspielige
Definition viele Kosten verursachend; viel Geld kostend Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs kostspielig

Where the eye mixes kostspielig and kostspielige

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 11 letters in sequence.

11 ch
kostspielig
12 ch
kostspielige

Why the eye confuses kostspielig with kostspielige

A purely visual mix-up. kostspielig ([ˈkɔstˌʃpiːlɪç]) and kostspielige ([ˈkɔstˌʃpiːlɪɡə]) 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 extra letter(s) - “kostspielig” sits inside “kostspielige”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 78582, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

kostspielig is recorded at frequency rank #35,279, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈkɔstˌʃpiːlɪç]. kostspielige is at rank #43,303, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈkɔstˌʃpiːlɪɡə].

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 78582, this pair ranks #235,060 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of kostspielig vs kostspielige

Shared letters: egiklopst. Private to "kostspielig": -. Private to "kostspielige": -.

"kostspielig" · 11 letters · shape CVCCCCVVCVC  ·  "kostspielige" · 12 letters · shape CVCCCCVVCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • kostspieligkkostspielig · kosstpielig · kosstspielig · kostpsielig · kostsipelig · kostspeilig · kostspieilg · kostspielgi
  • kostspieligekkostspielige · kosstpielige · kosstspielige · kostpsielige · kostsipelige · kostspeilige · kostspieilge · kostspielgie

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "kostspielig" and "kostspielige" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([ˈkɔstˌʃpiːlɪç] versus [ˈkɔstˌʃpiːlɪɡə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "kostspielig" or "kostspielige"?
"kostspielig" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #35,279 in our German list, against #43,303 for "kostspielige". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Eye-level mix-up between "kostspielig" and "kostspielige" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "kostspielig" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "kostspielige" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #235,060 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • 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 #235,060 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list