Which to use
“Kurbel” and “Kurve” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #37,036
- “Kurbel” frequency rank
- #6,079
- “Kurve” frequency rank
- 43115
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Kurbel | Kurve |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | einarmiger Hebel zum kreisenden Bewirken einer Drehung | durch eine mathematische Beziehung definierte Linie |
Where the eye mixes Kurbel and Kurve
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. Kurbel runs 6 letters (CVCCVC) against Kurve's 5 (CVCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses Kurbel with Kurve
A purely visual mix-up. Kurbel ([ˈkʊʁbl̩]) and Kurve ([ˈkʊʁvə]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 43115, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Kurbel is recorded at frequency rank #37,036, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈkʊʁbl̩]. Kurve is at rank #6,079, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈkʊʁvə].
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 43115, this pair ranks #1,428,179 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Kurbel vs Kurve
Shared letters: ekru. Private to "Kurbel": bl. Private to "Kurve": v.
"Kurbel" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "Kurve" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Kurbel" for "Kurve" ever safe?
Frequency check: "Kurbel" vs "Kurve" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "Kurbel" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Kurve" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,428,179 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Kurbel" and "Kurve" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Kurbel vs kürten". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #1,428,179 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.