kühltvskürztWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#29,208
“kühlt” frequency rank
#44,034
“kürzt” frequency rank
73242
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature kühlt kürzt
Definition 2. Person Plural Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs kühlen 2. Person Plural Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs kürzen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set kühlt and kürzt apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
kühlt
5 ch
kürzt

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. kühlt ([kyːlt]) and kürzt ([kʏʁt͡st]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 73242, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

kühlt is recorded at frequency rank #29,208, classified as averb, pronounced [kyːlt]. kürzt is at rank #44,034, tagged as averb, pronounced [kʏʁt͡st].

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 73242, this pair ranks #365,750 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of kühlt vs kürzt

Shared letters: ktü. Private to "kühlt": hl. Private to "kürzt": rz.

"kühlt" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC  ·  "kürzt" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC

Frequency comparison

kühlt#29,208
kürzt#44,034

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "kühlt" and "kürzt" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([kyːlt] versus [kʏʁt͡st]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "kühlt" or "kürzt"?
"kühlt" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #29,208 in our German list, against #44,034 for "kürzt". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering kühlt vs kürzt

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 “kühlt” 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