Kolben
[ˈkɔlbn̩]
The verdict
“Kolben” is a moderately-common German word, ranked #21,666 in German word frequency and used as a noun.
- #21,666
- frequency rank, German
- 6
- letters
- 9
- tracked misspellings
- 20
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - eine Keule oder ihr dickes Ende
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 | Kolben |
| Language | German |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | [ˈkɔlbn̩] |
| Letters | 6 |
| Frequency rank | #21,666 |
| Misspellings tracked | 9 |
| Confusable pairs | 20 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “Kolben” sits in German frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The German entry for Kolben is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [ˈkɔlbn̩]. Corpus data places it at rank #21,666 in overall German word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 6 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for Kolben, with forms such as "kkolben", "kloben", and "koblen". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "Köln", "Körbe", "Kölle", 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 pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct German form is Kolben, spelled K-O-L-B-E-N.
Definition
- 1eine Keule oder ihr dickes Ende
- 2ein sich bewegendes, zylindrisches Teil in Maschinen
- 3Gewehrkolben, das hintere Ende eines Gewehrs, das man an die Schulter anlegen kann
- 4verdicktes Pflanzenteil, an dem dichtgedrängt Blüten oder Früchte nebeneinander wachsen
- 5Glaskolben
- 6Nase
Synonyms
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: kkolben,kloben,koblen,kolbben,kolbenn,kolbne,kolebn,kollben,oklben
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of Kolben - 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.
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 "Kolben"?
What does "Kolben" mean?
What words are commonly confused with "Kolben"?
How do you pronounce "Kolben"?
What language does "Kolben" come from?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “Kolben”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct German spelling is K-O-L-B-E-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as [ˈkɔlbn̩] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “Köln” - see the side-by-side comparison. Kolben vs Köln
- 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.