kümmern

[ˈkʏmɐn]

/[ˈkʏmɐn]/ verb

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

The verdict

“kümmern” has 9 generated spelling variants in the German index at frequency #2,402. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#2,402
frequency rank, German
4,158
“K” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
11
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - reflexiv, mit „um“: für jemanden sorgen

Corpus desk

Index DE-kummern · kümmern · German

kümmern · rank #2,402 · 9 variants · 11 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #2,402
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 11 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,158
  • PHOTO-FINISH James

Nearest frequency peer: James (-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 „kümmern“

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

corpus weight

What this shows „kümmern“ 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).

kümmern vs kümmert
86% similar
kümmern vs kümmerte
75% similar
kümmern vs kümmerten
78% similar

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

Key facts for kümmern
PropertyValue
Headwordkümmern
LanguageGerman
Part of speechVerb
IPA[ˈkʏmɐn]
Letters7
Frequency rank#2,402
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs11
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Häufigkeitslage von Tippfehler-Magnet „kümmern“

Die Häufigkeit läuft von den wenigen Alltagswörtern (links) bis zur langen, seltenen Schwanzseite (rechts).kümmernliegt hier neben dem Tippfehler-Druck:

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

Die Ticks laufen logarithmisch; jeder ist rund zehnmal seltener. Peers derselben Seltenheitsbandbreite: „James“ (#2,401), „Integration“ (#2,400), „Maschine“ (#2,404). Unter 4,158 „K“-Lemmata liegt „kümmern“ bei #2,402. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around kümmern (IPA [ˈkʏmɐn]), averb. Corpus frequency is #2,402 among 4,158 “K” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for kümmern, with forms such as "kkümmern", "kmümern", and "kümemrn". 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 11 confusable-pair relationships, "kümmert", "kümmerte", "kümmerten", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct German form is kümmern, spelled K-Ü-M-M-E-R-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    reflexiv, mit „um“: für jemanden sorgen
  2. 2
    sich um eine Angelegenheit Gedanken machen
  3. 3
    reflexiv, mit „um“: eine Arbeit erledigen
  4. 4
    kraftlos vor sich hin vegetieren (bei Mensch, Tier, Pflanze), auch in übertragener Bedeutung

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Sie kümmern sich um ihr Kind.
  2. „Wenn sich der russische Zar auch nicht viel um die Tschuktschenhalbinsel gekümmert hat, war seine Regierung doch klug genug, Fehler, wie sie in Alaska gemacht wurden, zu vermeiden.“

Synonyms

sorgenbetreuenbeachtenerledigenorganisieren

Antonyms

vernachlässigenunbekümmertscherenunerledigtgedeihen

This word in other languages

look after(English)atender(Español)occuper(Français)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • kkümmern
  • kmümern
  • kümemrn
  • kümern
  • kümmenr
  • kümmernn
  • kümmerrn
  • kümmren
  • ükmmern

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

kkümmern1kmümern2kümemrn2kümern1kümmenr2kümmernn1kümmerrn1kümmren2
Edit distance from "kümmern"

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 "kümmern"?
"kümmern" is spelled K-Ü-M-M-E-R-N. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈkʏmɐn].
What does "kümmern" mean?
As a verb, "kümmern" means: reflexiv, mit „um“: für jemanden sorgen
What words are commonly confused with "kümmern"?
"kümmern" is commonly confused with "kümmert", "kümmerte", "kümmerten". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "kümmern"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "kümmern" is [ˈkʏmɐn]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "kümmern" come from?
"kümmern" 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 "kümmern", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked German headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

höheren#2,399Produkt#2,408Details#2,387älteren#2,376

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

achten9 variantsbewegt9 variantsdrehen9 variantsgratis9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list