Krebs

[kʁeːps]

/[kʁeːps]/ noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

The verdict

“Krebs” has 8 generated spelling variants in the German index at frequency #3,598. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#3,598
frequency rank, German
4,158
“K” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
18
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - ein Tier des Stamms Krebstiere (Crustacea), umgangssprachlich meist nur ein Tier der Klasse Höhere Krebse (Malacostraca)

Corpus desk

Index DE-krebs · Krebs · German

Krebs · rank #3,598 · 8 variants · 18 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #3,598
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 18 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,158
  • PHOTO-FINISH Kontext

Nearest frequency peer: Kontext (-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.

Rang-Peers am Tippfehler-Magneten „Krebs“

Gleiche Seltenheitsbandbreite: nützlich, wenn ein Tippfehler auf ein Peer-Lemma trifft

corpus weight

What this shows „Krebs“ sitzt unter diesen FrequencyWords-Peers; die Tippfehlertiefe steht separat im Edit-Distance-Chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

Krebs vs Kris
60% similar
Krebs vs Kreis
80% similar
Krebs vs Kreuz
60% similar

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

Key facts for Krebs
PropertyValue
HeadwordKrebs
LanguageGerman
Part of speechNoun
IPA[kʁeːps]
Letters5
Frequency rank#3,598
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs18
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Häufigkeitslage von Tippfehler-Magnet „Krebs“

Diese Skala geht vom Kern des Alltagdeutschen (links) bis zum seltenen Langschwanz (rechts).Krebsliegt hier neben dem Tippfehler-Druck:

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

Die Achse ist logarithmisch: jeder Tick markiert etwa zehnfach geringere Häufigkeit. Peers derselben Seltenheitsbandbreite: „Kontext“ (#3,597), „lady“ (#3,599), „Knie“ (#3,596). Unter 4,158 „K“-Lemmata liegt „Krebs“ bei #3,598. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around Krebs (IPA [kʁeːps]), anoun. Corpus frequency is #3,598 among 4,158 “K” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for Krebs, with forms such as "kerbs", "kkrebs", and "krbes". 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 18 confusable-pair relationships, "Kris", "Kreis", "Kreuz", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

This entry carries no recorded etymology, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct German form is Krebs, spelled K-R-E-B-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    ein Tier des Stamms Krebstiere (Crustacea), umgangssprachlich meist nur ein Tier der Klasse Höhere Krebse (Malacostraca)
  2. 2
    eine bösartige Tumorerkrankung
  3. 3
    ein zu den Tierkreiszeichen zählendes, relativ lichtschwaches Sternbild in Form eines kopfstehenden "Y" am nördlichen Sternenhimmel
  4. 4
    eines der zwölf Tierkreiszeichen (der umgangssprachlich so genannten Sternzeichen)
  5. 5
    Rückwärtsspielen eines Motivs (Spiegeln der Notenpassage an der Vertikalen)

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how Krebs appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Manche Krebse laufen seitwärts.
  2. „Wir brauchten wenigstens noch einen Krebs, damit jeder von uns einen essen konnte - obwohl ich mir nicht sicher war, ob ich das überhaupt wollte.“

Synonyms

KrebstierKrustentierKarzinomKrebsleidenSternbild KrebsKrebsgang

Antonyms

InsektSkorpiongutartige Wucherungbenigner TumorBindegewebswucherungFibroadenomFettgewebswucherungLipomZysteWidderStierZwillingeLöweJungfrauWaageSkorpionSchützeSteinbockWassermannFischeInversionUmkehrungVergrößerungVerkleinerung

This word in other languages

crayfish(English)cangrejo(Español)crabe(Français)caranguejo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • kerbs
  • kkrebs
  • krbes
  • krebbs
  • krebss
  • kresb
  • krrebs
  • rkebs

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of Krebs - 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.

kerbs2kkrebs1krbes2krebbs1krebss1kresb2krrebs1rkebs2
Edit distance from "Krebs"

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 "Krebs"?
"Krebs" is spelled K-R-E-B-S. The IPA pronunciation is [kʁeːps].
What does "Krebs" mean?
As a noun, "Krebs" means: ein Tier des Stamms Krebstiere (Crustacea), umgangssprachlich meist nur ein Tier der Klasse Höhere Krebse (Malacostraca)
What words are commonly confused with "Krebs"?
"Krebs" is commonly confused with "Kris", "Kreis", "Kreuz". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "Krebs"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Krebs" is [kʁeːps]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "Krebs" come from?
"Krebs" 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.

Similar German words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "Krebs", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked German headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Miete#3,603nackt#3,608gehst#3,585Feind#3,579

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

mobile8 variantsHaufen8 variantsStahl8 variantstiefer8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list