Which to use
“kratzen” is a verb and “Kratzer” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #15,138
- “kratzen” frequency rank
- #14,110
- “Kratzer” frequency rank
- 29248
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | kratzen | Kratzer |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | sich mit den Fingernägeln, Krallen oder ähnlichen spitzen, scharfen Dingen, die dazu geeignet sind, einen Abrieb zu verursachen, schaben | 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 kratzen and Kratzer apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: kratzen is [ˈkʁat͡sn̩] while Kratzer is [ˈkʁat͡sɐ]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - n in “kratzen” becomes r in “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 29248, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
kratzen is recorded at frequency rank #15,138, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈkʁat͡sn̩]. 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 29248, this pair ranks #1,770,373 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of kratzen vs Kratzer
Shared letters: aekrtz. Private to "kratzen": n. Private to "Kratzer": -.
"kratzen" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCVC · "Kratzer" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "kratzen" and "Kratzer" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "kratzen" or "Kratzer"?
Remembering kratzen vs Kratzer
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “kratzen”; for a noun, it's “Kratzer”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “kratzen” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable