kotzenvskürzenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#6,820
“kotzen” frequency rank
#15,680
“kürzen” frequency rank
22500
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature kotzen kürzen
Definition den Mageninhalt über den Mund entleeren kürzer machen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set kotzen and kürzen apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
kotzen
6 ch
kürzen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. kotzen ([ˈkɔt͡sn̩]) and kürzen ([ˈkʏʁt͡sn̩]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 22500, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

kotzen is recorded at frequency rank #6,820, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈkɔt͡sn̩]. kürzen is at rank #15,680, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈkʏʁt͡sn̩].

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 22500, this pair ranks #1,873,413 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of kotzen vs kürzen

Shared letters: eknz. Private to "kotzen": ot. Private to "kürzen": .

"kotzen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "kürzen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • kotzenkkotzen · kotezn · kottzen · kotzenn · kotzne · kotzzen · kozten · ktozen

Frequency comparison

kotzen#6,820
kürzen#15,680

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "kotzen" and "kürzen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈkɔt͡sn̩] versus [ˈkʏʁt͡sn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "kotzen" or "kürzen"?
"kotzen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #6,820 in our German list, against #15,680 for "kürzen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering kotzen vs kürzen

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 “kotzen” 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