Kerze

[ˈkɛʁt͡sə]

/[ˈkɛʁt͡sə]/ noun

The verdict

“Kerze” is a moderately-common German word, ranked #12,517 in German word frequency and used as a noun.

#12,517
frequency rank, German
5
letters
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Leuchtmittel mit offener Flamme; bestehend aus Wachs

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

Kerze vs kurz
40% similar
Kerze vs Kette
60% similar
Kerze vs Kurse
60% similar

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

Key facts for Kerze
PropertyValue
HeadwordKerze
LanguageGerman
Part of speechNoun
IPA[ˈkɛʁt͡sə]
Letters5
Frequency rank#12,517
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Kerze” 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). Kerze 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 Kerze is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [ˈkɛʁt͡sə]. Corpus data places it at rank #12,517 in overall German word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for Kerze, with forms such as "ekrze", "kerez", and "kerrze". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "kurz", "Kette", "Kurse", 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 easiest to reason about phoneme by phoneme, absent a documented history. The correct German form is Kerze, spelled K-E-R-Z-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Leuchtmittel mit offener Flamme; bestehend aus Wachs
  2. 2
    Figur beim Turnen und Wasserspringen
  3. 3
    kurz für Zündkerze

Synonyms

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ekrze,kerez,kerrze,kerzze,kezre,kkerze,kreze

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of Kerze - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

ekrze2kerez2kerrze1kerzze1kezre2kkerze1kreze2
Edit distance from "Kerze"

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 "Kerze"?
"Kerze" is spelled K-E-R-Z-E. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈkɛʁt͡sə].
What does "Kerze" mean?
As a noun, "Kerze" means: Leuchtmittel mit offener Flamme; bestehend aus Wachs
What words are commonly confused with "Kerze"?
"Kerze" is commonly confused with "kurz", "Kette", "Kurse". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "Kerze"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Kerze" is [ˈkɛʁt͡sə]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "Kerze" come from?
"Kerze" is a German word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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 “Kerze”

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

  • The one correct German spelling is K-E-R-Z-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [ˈkɛʁt͡sə] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “kurz” - see the side-by-side comparison. Kerze vs kurz
  • 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