KultvsKultusWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#8,236
“Kult” frequency rank
#42,640
“Kultus” frequency rank
50876
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Kult Kultus
Definition auf bestimmten Abläufen und Riten beruhende Verehrung einer Gottheit Verehrung einer Gottheit durch religiöse, rituelle Handlungen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Kult and Kultus apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
Kult
6 ch
Kultus

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Kult ([kʊlt]) and Kultus ([ˈkʊltʊs]) 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) - “Kult” sits inside “Kultus”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 50876, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Kult is recorded at frequency rank #8,236, classified as anoun, pronounced [kʊlt]. Kultus is at rank #42,640, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈkʊltʊs].

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 50876, this pair ranks #1,156,950 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Kult vs Kultus

Shared letters: kltu. Private to "Kult": -. Private to "Kultus": s.

"Kult" · 4 letters · shape CVCC  ·  "Kultus" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Kultkkult · klut · kullt · kultt · kutl · uklt
  • Kultuskkultus · klutus · kulltus · kultsu · kulttus · kultuss · kuluts · kutlus

Frequency comparison

Kult#8,236
Kultus#42,640

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Kult" and "Kultus" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([kʊlt] versus [ˈkʊltʊs]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Kult" or "Kultus"?
"Kult" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #8,236 in our German list, against #42,640 for "Kultus". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Kult vs Kultus

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 “Kult” 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