Kätzchen

[ˈkɛt͡sçən]

/[ˈkɛt͡sçən]/ noun

The verdict

“Kätzchen” is a moderately-common German word, ranked #14,345 in German word frequency and used as a noun.

#14,345
frequency rank, German
8
letters
13
tracked misspellings
6
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - kleine Katze

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

Kätzchen vs Katzen
63% similar
Kätzchen vs kitchen
63% similar
Kätzchen vs Kutschen
75% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for Kätzchen
PropertyValue
HeadwordKätzchen
LanguageGerman
Part of speechNoun
IPA[ˈkɛt͡sçən]
Letters8
Frequency rank#14,345
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs6
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Kätzchen” sits in German frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). Kätzchen lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The German entry for Kätzchen is 8 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [ˈkɛt͡sçən]. Corpus data places it at rank #14,345 in overall German word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for Kätzchen, with forms such as "kkätzchen", "ktäzchen", and "kätczhen". 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 6 confusable-pair relationships, "Katzen", "kitchen", "Kutschen", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so spelling patterns must be inferred from the word's phoneme-to-grapheme mapping rather than from a documented borrowing chain. The correct German form is Kätzchen, spelled K-Ä-T-Z-C-H-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    kleine Katze
  2. 2
    windbestäubter Blütenstand (ähnlich einer Ähre) an Bäumen und Sträuchern

Synonyms

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: kkätzchen,ktäzchen,kätczhen,kättzchen,kätzcchen,kätzcehn,kätzchenn,kätzchhen,kätzchne,kätzhcen,kätzzchen,käztchen,äktzchen

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of Kätzchen - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

kkätzchen1ktäzchen2kätczhen2kättzchen1kätzcchen1kätzcehn2kätzchenn1kätzchhen1
Edit distance from "Kätzchen"

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.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "Kätzchen"?
"Kätzchen" is spelled K-Ä-T-Z-C-H-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈkɛt͡sçən].
What does "Kätzchen" mean?
As a noun, "Kätzchen" means: kleine Katze
What words are commonly confused with "Kätzchen"?
"Kätzchen" is commonly confused with "Katzen", "kitchen", "Kutschen". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "Kätzchen"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Kätzchen" is [ˈkɛt͡sçən]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "Kätzchen" come from?
"Kätzchen" is a German word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “Kätzchen”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct German spelling is K-Ä-T-Z-C-H-E-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [ˈkɛt͡sçən] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “Katzen” - see the side-by-side comparison. Kätzchen vs Katzen
  • Browse more German words and confusable pairs in the same reference. German words
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.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list