KurfürstvsKurfürstenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#18,608
“Kurfürst” frequency rank
#14,854
“Kurfürsten” frequency rank
33462
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Kurfürst Kurfürsten
Definition ein Reichsfürst des Heiligen Römischen Reiches Deutscher Nation, der das Recht hatte, an der Wahl des römisch-deutschen Königs teilzunehmen Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Kurfürst

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Kurfürst and Kurfürsten apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
Kurfürst
10 ch
Kurfürsten

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Kurfürst ([ˈkuːɐ̯ˌfʏʁst]) and Kurfürsten ([ˈkuːɐ̯ˌfʏʁstn̩]) 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) - “Kurfürst” sits inside “Kurfürsten”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 33462, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Kurfürst is recorded at frequency rank #18,608, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈkuːɐ̯ˌfʏʁst]. Kurfürsten is at rank #14,854, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈkuːɐ̯ˌfʏʁstn̩].

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 33462, this pair ranks #1,685,486 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Kurfürst vs Kurfürsten

Shared letters: fkrstuü. Private to "Kurfürst": -. Private to "Kurfürsten": en.

"Kurfürst" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCCC  ·  "Kurfürsten" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVCCCVC

Frequency comparison

Kurfürst#18,608
Kurfürsten#14,854

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Kurfürst" and "Kurfürsten" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈkuːɐ̯ˌfʏʁst] versus [ˈkuːɐ̯ˌfʏʁstn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Kurfürst" or "Kurfürsten"?
"Kurfürsten" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #14,854 in our German list, against #18,608 for "Kurfürst". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Kurfürst vs Kurfürsten

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 “Kurfürst” 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