krachenvskrachteWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#15,413
“krachen” frequency rank
#42,634
“krachte” frequency rank
58047
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature krachen krachte
Definition ein lautes Geräusch von sich geben, wenn jemand/etwas schnell gegen etwas prallt 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs krachen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set krachen and krachte apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
krachen
7 ch
krachte

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. krachen ([ˈkʁaxn̩]) and krachte ([ˈkʁaxtə]) 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 58047, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

krachen is recorded at frequency rank #15,413, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈkʁaxn̩]. krachte is at rank #42,634, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈkʁaxtə].

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 58047, this pair ranks #877,849 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of krachen vs krachte

Shared letters: acehkr. Private to "krachen": n. Private to "krachte": t.

"krachen" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCVC  ·  "krachte" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • krachenkarchen · kkrachen · kracchen · kracehn · krachenn · krachhen · krachne · krahcen
  • krachtekarchte · kkrachte · kracchte · krachet · krachhte · krachtte · kracthe · krahcte

Frequency comparison

krachen#15,413
krachte#42,634

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "krachen" and "krachte" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈkʁaxn̩] versus [ˈkʁaxtə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "krachen" or "krachte"?
"krachen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #15,413 in our German list, against #42,634 for "krachte". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering krachen vs krachte

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 “krachen” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list