könnten
[ˈkœntn̩]
The verdict
“könnten” has 9 generated spelling variants in the German index at frequency #571. The variants make it a useful spelling check.
- #571
- frequency rank, German
- 4,158
- “K” headwords
- 9
- tracked misspellings
- 20
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 2, 2026) - 1. Person Plural Konjunktiv II Präteritum des Verbs können
Corpus desk
Index DE-konnten · könnten · German
könnten · rank #571 · 9 variants · 20 confusables
- FREQ-CORE #571
- LEN-LONG 7 letters
- VOW-2 2 vowels
- CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
- VAR-MID 9 variants
- BOOK-MID 4,158
- PHOTO-FINISH kosten
Nearest frequency peer: kosten (-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 “könnten”
Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)
- helfen
helfen
99,432 corpus weight
- kosten
kosten
99,431 corpus weight
- könnten
könnten
99,430 corpus weight
- obwohl
obwohl
99,429 corpus weight
- sehe
sehe
99,428 corpus weight
- suchen
suchen
99,427 corpus weight
What this shows Bars show where “könnten” 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 | könnten |
| Language | German |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | [ˈkœntn̩] |
| Letters | 7 |
| Frequency rank | #571 |
| Misspellings tracked | 9 |
| Confusable pairs | 20 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “könnten” sits in German frequency
A misspelling magnet
The generator records 9 spelling variants around könnten (IPA [ˈkœntn̩]), averb. Corpus frequency is #571 among 4,158 “K” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.
Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for könnten, with forms such as "kkönnten", "knönten", and "könnetn". 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, "kosten", "Konten", "Konter", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.
This entry carries no recorded etymology, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct German form is könnten, spelled K-Ö-N-N-T-E-N.
Definition
- 11. Person Plural Konjunktiv II Präteritum des Verbs können
- 23. Person Plural Konjunktiv II Präteritum des Verbs können
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as:
- kkönnten
- knönten
- könnetn
- könntenn
- könntne
- könntten
- könten
- köntnen
- öknnten
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of könnten - 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.
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 2, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you spell "könnten"?
What does "könnten" mean?
What words are commonly confused with "könnten"?
How do you pronounce "könnten"?
What language does "könnten" come from?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Similar German words by spelling shape
Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "könnten", not the corpus desk frequency band.
Same letter count
Frequency-ranked German headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).
Similar misspelling depth
Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).
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.