Which to use
“kräftig” is an adjective and “kräftigen” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #4,807
- “kräftig” frequency rank
- #10,317
- “kräftigen” frequency rank
- 15124
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | kräftig | kräftigen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | mit Kraft ausgestattet, von Kraft geprägt, zeugend | etwas/jemanden kräftig machen |
Where the eye mixes kräftig and kräftigen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses kräftig with kräftigen
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: kräftig is [ˈkʁɛftɪç] while kräftigen is [ˈkʁɛftɪɡn̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “kräftig” sits inside “kräftigen”, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 15124, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
kräftig is recorded at frequency rank #4,807, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈkʁɛftɪç]. kräftigen is at rank #10,317, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈkʁɛftɪɡn̩].
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 15124, this pair ranks #1,946,209 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of kräftig vs kräftigen
Shared letters: fgikrtä. Private to "kräftig": -. Private to "kräftigen": en.
"kräftig" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCVC · "kräftigen" · 9 letters · shape CCVCCVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "kräftig" for "kräftigen" ever safe?
Frequency check: "kräftig" vs "kräftigen" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "kräftig" and "kräftigen" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "kräftig" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "kräftigen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,946,209 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "kräftig" and "kräftigen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "kantig vs kräftig". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,946,209 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.