Which to use
“krabbeln” and “kribbeln” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #41,293
- “krabbeln” frequency rank
- #29,201
- “kribbeln” frequency rank
- 70494
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | krabbeln | kribbeln |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | (beim Menschen) auf Händen und Knien fortbewegen | kitzelig jucken (zum Beispiel bei einem eingeschlafenen Fuß) |
Where the eye mixes krabbeln and kribbeln
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. krabbeln and kribbeln follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CCVCCVCC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Look-alike desk: krabbeln vs kribbeln
A purely visual mix-up. krabbeln ([ˈkʁabl̩n]) and kribbeln ([ˈkʁɪbl̩n]) 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 a single letter - a in “krabbeln” becomes i in “kribbeln”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 70494, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
krabbeln is recorded at frequency rank #41,293, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈkʁabl̩n]. kribbeln is at rank #29,201, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈkʁɪbl̩n].
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 70494, this pair ranks #444,672 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of krabbeln vs kribbeln
Shared letters: beklnr. Private to "krabbeln": a. Private to "kribbeln": i.
"krabbeln" · 8 letters · shape CCVCCVCC · "kribbeln" · 8 letters · shape CCVCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "krabbeln" and "kribbeln" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "krabbeln" or "kribbeln" show up more?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "krabbeln" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "kribbeln" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #444,672 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "krabbeln" and "kribbeln" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Krabbe vs krabbeln". 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 #444,672 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.