kratzvsKratzerWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#39,484
“kratz” frequency rank
#14,110
“Kratzer” frequency rank
53594
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature kratz Kratzer
Definition 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs kratzen kleine bis mittelgroße Wunde oder Beschädigung, die durch bewegte Berührung mit einem spitzen Gegenstand hervorgerufen wurde

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set kratz and Kratzer apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
kratz
7 ch
Kratzer

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: kratz is [kʁat͡s] while Kratzer is [ˈkʁat͡sɐ]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “kratz” sits inside “Kratzer”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 53594, 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]. Kratzer is at rank #14,110, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈkʁat͡sɐ].

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 53594, this pair ranks #1,051,882 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of kratz vs Kratzer

Shared letters: akrtz. Private to "kratz": -. Private to "Kratzer": e.

"kratz" · 5 letters · shape CCVCC  ·  "Kratzer" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • kratzkartz · kkratz · kratzz · krazt · krratz · krtaz · rkatz
  • Kratzerkartzer · kkratzer · kratezr · krattzer · kratzerr · kratzre · kratzzer · krazter

Frequency comparison

kratz#39,484
Kratzer#14,110

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "kratz" and "Kratzer" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "kratz" is a verb and "Kratzer" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "kratz" or "Kratzer"?
"Kratzer" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #14,110 in our German list, against #39,484 for "kratz". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering kratz vs Kratzer

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “kratz”; for a noun, it's “Kratzer”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “kratz” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list