kann
[kan]
The verdict
“kann” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #53) as a verb. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.
- #53
- frequency rank, German
- 4,158
- “K” headwords
- 3
- tracked misspellings
- 20
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs können
Corpus desk
Index DE-kann · kann · German
kann · rank #53 · 3 variants · 20 confusables
- FREQ-CORE #53
- LEN-MID 4 letters
- VOW-1 1 vowel
- CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
- VAR-LOW 3 variants
- BOOK-MID 4,158
- PHOTO-FINISH zum
Nearest frequency peer: zum (-1 rank slots)
Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.
Frequency neighbourhood for “kann”
Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)
- Haben
Haben
99,951 corpus weight
- einer
einer
99,950 corpus weight
- zum
zum
99,949 corpus weight
- kann
kann
99,948 corpus weight
- über
über
99,947 corpus weight
- da
da
99,946 corpus weight
What this shows Bars show where “kann” sits against the nearest ranked German headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | kann |
| Language | German |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | [kan] |
| Letters | 4 |
| Frequency rank | #53 |
| Misspellings tracked | 3 |
| Confusable pairs | 20 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “kann” sits in German frequency
Easy to mix with look-alikes
The spelling risk for kann is neighbouring look-alikes ("Ken", "kay", …), not just typos; it is averb pronounced [kan]. Frequency #53 among 4,158 “K” headwords. 2 recorded senses keep meaning in play.
Our generated misspelling index lists 3 likely wrong-spelling variants for kann, with forms such as "aknn", "kkann", and "knan". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "Ken", "kay", "kat", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.
No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct German form is kann, spelled K-A-N-N.
Definition
- 11. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs können
- 23. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs können
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as:
- aknn
- kkann
- knan
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of kann - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 German corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you spell "kann"?
What does "kann" mean?
What words are commonly confused with "kann"?
How do you pronounce "kann"?
What language does "kann" come from?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Similar German words by spelling shape
Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "kann", not the corpus desk frequency band.
What to do next
You've looked up "kann". Here's where to go from here.
- "kann" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "Ken". View pair
- 3 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
- Usage frequency rank #53 among German headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
- Browse more German words in the "K" letter cohort. K–Z browse
PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.