packenvsPacksWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: packen is a verb, Packs is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“packen” is a verb and “Packs” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#4,546
“packen” frequency rank
#34,297
“Packs” frequency rank
38843
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature packen Packs
Definition etwas zusammenlegen, zusammenfalten, wegräumen, in eine gepackte Form (Bündel, Packen, Paket) bringen, zubinden, zusammenkleben, in eine Verpackung tun Genitiv Singular des Substantivs Pack

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
packen
5 ch
Packs

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: packen is [ˈpakn̩] while Packs is [paks]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 38843, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

packen is recorded at frequency rank #4,546, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈpakn̩]. Packs is at rank #34,297, tagged as anoun, pronounced [paks].

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 38843, this pair ranks #1,553,156 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of packen vs Packs

Shared letters: ackp. Private to "packen": en. Private to "Packs": s.

"packen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "Packs" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • packenapcken · paccken · pacekn · packenn · packken · packne · pakcen · pcaken
  • Packsapcks · paccks · packks · packss · pacsk · pakcs · pcaks · ppacks

Frequency comparison

packen#4,546
Packs#34,297

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "packen" and "Packs" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "packen" is a verb and "Packs" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "packen" or "Packs"?
"packen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,546 in our German list, against #34,297 for "Packs". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering packen vs Packs

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “packen”; for a noun, it's “Packs”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “packen” 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