Which to use
“kurz” is an adjective and “kürzen” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #331
- “kurz” frequency rank
- #15,680
- “kürzen” frequency rank
- 16011
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | kurz | kürzen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | wenig Länge habend | kürzer machen |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set kurz and kürzen apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: kurz is [kʊʁt͡s] while kürzen is [ˈkʏʁt͡sn̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 16011, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
kurz is recorded at frequency rank #331, classified as anadj, pronounced [kʊʁt͡s]. kürzen is at rank #15,680, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈkʏʁt͡sn̩].
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 16011, this pair ranks #1,939,351 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of kurz vs kürzen
Shared letters: krz. Private to "kurz": u. Private to "kürzen": enü.
"kurz" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "kürzen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- kurz ← kkurz · kruz · kurrz · kurzz · kuzr · ukrz
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "kurz" and "kürzen" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "kurz" or "kürzen"?
Remembering kurz vs kürzen
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “kurz”; for a verb, it's “kürzen”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “kurz” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable