kaufen
[ˈkaʊ̯fn̩]
The verdict
“kaufen” is in the everyday core of German, ranked #635 in German word frequency and used as a verb.
- #635
- frequency rank, German
- 6
- letters
- 8
- tracked misspellings
- 20
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Ware gegen Entgelt erwerben
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 | kaufen |
| Language | German |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | [ˈkaʊ̯fn̩] |
| Letters | 6 |
| Frequency rank | #635 |
| Misspellings tracked | 8 |
| Confusable pairs | 20 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “kaufen” sits in German frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The German entry for kaufen is 6 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [ˈkaʊ̯fn̩]. Corpus data places it at rank #635 in overall German word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for kaufen, with forms such as "akufen", "kafuen", and "kauefn". 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, "kauft", "Küken", "Kühen", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.
No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct German form is kaufen, spelled K-A-U-F-E-N.
Definition
- 1Ware gegen Entgelt erwerben
- 2ein Verpflichtungsgeschäft zum Erwerb eines Gegenstands eingehen, das von dem Erfüllungsgeschäft (Übertragung des Eigentums) zu unterscheiden ist.
- 3eine Person unter Druck setzen, ernsthaft mit ihr diskutieren
- 4eine Person bestechen
Synonyms
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: akufen,kafuen,kauefn,kaufenn,kauffen,kaufne,kkaufen,kuafen
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of kaufen - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.
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 "kaufen"?
What does "kaufen" mean?
What words are commonly confused with "kaufen"?
How do you pronounce "kaufen"?
What language does "kaufen" come from?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “kaufen”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct German spelling is K-A-U-F-E-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as [ˈkaʊ̯fn̩] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “kauft” - see the side-by-side comparison. kaufen vs kauft
- 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.