KuhvsKühenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“Kuh” and “Kühen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#6,555
“Kuh” frequency rank
#26,084
“Kühen” frequency rank
32639
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Kuh Kühen
Definition Muttertier des Hausrinds Dativ Plural des Substantivs Kuh

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Kuh and Kühen apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

3 ch
Kuh
5 ch
Kühen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Kuh ([kuː]) and Kühen ([ˈkyːən]) 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 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 32639, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Kuh is recorded at frequency rank #6,555, classified as anoun, pronounced [kuː]. Kühen is at rank #26,084, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈkyːən].

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 32639, this pair ranks #1,703,290 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Kuh vs Kühen

Shared letters: hk. Private to "Kuh": u. Private to "Kühen": enü.

"Kuh" · 3 letters · shape CVC  ·  "Kühen" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC

Frequency comparison

Kuh#6,555
Kühen#26,084

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Kuh" and "Kühen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([kuː] versus [ˈkyːən]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Kuh" or "Kühen"?
"Kuh" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #6,555 in our German list, against #26,084 for "Kühen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Kuh vs Kühen

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “Kuh” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list