Which to use
“Kran” is a noun and “kratz” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #18,605
- “Kran” frequency rank
- #39,484
- “kratz” frequency rank
- 58089
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Kran | kratz |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | manuell oder motorisch betriebene, mit einem (beweglichen) Ausleger versehene Vorrichtung, mithilfe derer Lasten oder sperrige Gegenstände gehoben und/oder versetzt werden | 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs kratzen |
Where the eye mixes Kran and kratz
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. Kran runs 4 letters (CCVC) against kratz's 5 (CCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between Kran and kratz
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Kran is [kʁaːn] while kratz is [kʁat͡s]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 58089, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Kran is recorded at frequency rank #18,605, classified as anoun, pronounced [kʁaːn]. kratz is at rank #39,484, tagged as averb, pronounced [kʁat͡s].
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 58089, this pair ranks #876,271 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Kran vs kratz
Shared letters: akr. Private to "Kran": n. Private to "kratz": tz.
"Kran" · 4 letters · shape CCVC · "kratz" · 5 letters · shape CCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "Kran" and "kratz" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "Kran" vs "kratz" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "Kran" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "kratz" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #876,271 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Kran" and "kratz" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "kratz vs Kroate". 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 #876,271 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.