Which to use
“kratz” and “kratzen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #39,484
- “kratz” frequency rank
- #15,138
- “kratzen” frequency rank
- 54622
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | kratz | kratzen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs kratzen | sich mit den Fingernägeln, Krallen oder ähnlichen spitzen, scharfen Dingen, die dazu geeignet sind, einen Abrieb zu verursachen, schaben |
Where the eye mixes kratz and kratzen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. kratz runs 5 letters (CCVCC) against kratzen's 7 (CCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: kratz vs kratzen
A purely visual mix-up. kratz ([kʁat͡s]) and kratzen ([ˈkʁat͡sn̩]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “kratz” sits inside “kratzen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 54622, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
kratz is recorded at frequency rank #39,484, classified as averb, pronounced [kʁat͡s]. kratzen is at rank #15,138, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈkʁat͡sn̩].
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 54622, this pair ranks #1,011,674 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of kratz vs kratzen
Shared letters: akrtz. Private to "kratz": -. Private to "kratzen": en.
"kratz" · 5 letters · shape CCVCC · "kratzen" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "kratz" and "kratzen" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "kratz" or "kratzen"?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "kratz" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "kratzen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,011,674 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "kratz" and "kratzen" 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 #1,011,674 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.