Which to use
“kahlen” is an adjective and “killen” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #29,185
- “kahlen” frequency rank
- #35,268
- “killen” frequency rank
- 64453
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | kahlen | killen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs kahl | töten |
Where the eye mixes kahlen and killen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. kahlen and killen follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Why the eye confuses kahlen with killen
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: kahlen is [ˈkaːlən] while killen is [ˈkɪlən]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 64453, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
kahlen is recorded at frequency rank #29,185, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈkaːlən]. killen is at rank #35,268, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈkɪlən].
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 64453, this pair ranks #641,042 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of kahlen vs killen
Shared letters: ekln. Private to "kahlen": ah. Private to "killen": i.
"kahlen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "killen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "kahlen" and "killen" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "kahlen" or "killen"?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "kahlen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "killen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #641,042 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "kahlen" and "killen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "killen vs Kölle". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #641,042 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.