KranzvskratztConfusable pair

Quick tell: Kranz is a noun, kratzt is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“Kranz” is a noun and “kratzt” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#16,477
“Kranz” frequency rank
#20,315
“kratzt” frequency rank
36792
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Kranz kratzt
Definition ringförmiges Schmuckgewinde aus Blumen, Stroh oder anderen organischen Materialien 2. Person Singular Präsens Indikativ des Verbs kratzen

Where the eye mixes Kranz and kratzt

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.

5 ch
Kranz
6 ch
kratzt

Why the eye confuses Kranz with kratzt

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Kranz is [kʁant͡s] while kratzt is [kʁat͡st]. 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 36792, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Kranz is recorded at frequency rank #16,477, classified as anoun, pronounced [kʁant͡s]. kratzt is at rank #20,315, tagged as averb, pronounced [kʁat͡st].

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 36792, this pair ranks #1,606,584 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Kranz vs kratzt

Shared letters: akrz. Private to "Kranz": n. Private to "kratzt": t.

"Kranz" · 5 letters · shape CCVCC  ·  "kratzt" · 6 letters · shape CCVCCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Kranzkarnz · kkranz · krannz · kranzz · krazn · krnaz · krranz · rkanz
  • kratztkartzt · kkratzt · krattz · krattzt · kratztt · kratzzt · kraztt · krratzt

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Kranz" and "kratzt" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "Kranz" is a noun and "kratzt" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Frequency check: "Kranz" vs "kratzt" - which ranks higher?
"Kranz" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #16,477 in our German list, against #20,315 for "kratzt". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Kranz" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "kratzt" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,606,584 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Kranz" and "kratzt" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "kräht vs kratzt". 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 #1,606,584 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list