Which to use
“krank” is an adjective and “kratz” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #1,736
- “krank” frequency rank
- #39,484
- “kratz” frequency rank
- 41220
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | krank | kratz |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | körperlich und/oder psychisch gesundheitlich eingeschränkt | 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs kratzen |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set krank and kratz apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
krank and kratz form a confusable pair in the German index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 41220, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
krank is recorded at frequency rank #1,736, classified as anadj, pronounced [kʁaŋk]. 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 41220, this pair ranks #1,485,889 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "krank" and "kratz" be used interchangeably?
Remembering krank vs kratz
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “krank”; for a verb, it's “kratz”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “krank” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable