küsstvsküssteWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#14,855
“küsst” frequency rank
#24,811
“küsste” frequency rank
39666
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature küsst küsste
Definition 2. Person Plural Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs küssen 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs küssen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set küsst and küsste apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
küsst
6 ch
küsste

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. küsst ([kʏst]) and küsste ([ˈkʏstə]) 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 extra letter(s) - “küsst” sits inside “küsste”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 39666, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

küsst is recorded at frequency rank #14,855, classified as averb, pronounced [kʏst]. küsste is at rank #24,811, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈkʏstə].

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 39666, this pair ranks #1,530,326 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of küsst vs küsste

Shared letters: kstü. Private to "küsst": -. Private to "küsste": e.

"küsst" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC  ·  "küsste" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCV

Frequency comparison

küsst#14,855
küsste#24,811

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "küsst" and "küsste" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([kʏst] versus [ˈkʏstə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "küsst" or "küsste"?
"küsst" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #14,855 in our German list, against #24,811 for "küsste". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering küsst vs küsste

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 “küsst” 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