Also means
free of charge
Usage Note
kostenlos is built from Kosten ('costs') plus the suffix -los ('-less'), so it means 'costing nothing'. It works as both adjective and adverb; the close synonyms gratis and umsonst mean the same, though umsonst can also mean 'in vain'.
Examples
"Der Eintritt ist kostenlos."
Natural Translation
Admission is free.
Literal Translation
The admission is free.

Free starter pack
Building your German vocabulary?
Get the 100 most common German words as a free PDF — one email, no spam.
Related Words
Explore German by topic