packetvspickenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#38,938
“packet” frequency rank
#45,512
“picken” frequency rank
84450
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature packet picken
Definition 2. Person Plural Konjunktiv I Präsens Aktiv des Verbs packen mit dem Schnabel auf etwas einhacken, insbesondere Futterkörner

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
packet
6 ch
picken

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. packet ([ˈpakət]) and picken ([ˈpɪkn̩]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 84450, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

packet is recorded at frequency rank #38,938, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈpakət]. picken is at rank #45,512, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈpɪkn̩].

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 84450, this pair ranks #123,614 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of packet vs picken

Shared letters: cekp. Private to "packet": at. Private to "picken": in.

"packet" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "picken" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • packetapcket · paccket · pacekt · packett · packket · pakcet · pcaket · ppacket
  • pickenipcken · pciken · piccken · picekn · pickenn · pickken · pickne · pikcen

Frequency comparison

packet#38,938
picken#45,512

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "packet" and "picken" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈpakət] versus [ˈpɪkn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "packet" or "picken"?
"packet" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #38,938 in our German list, against #45,512 for "picken". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering packet vs picken

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 “packet” 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