Which to use
“Keil” and “Kris” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #16,197
- “Keil” frequency rank
- #32,137
- “Kris” frequency rank
- 48334
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Keil | Kris |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | spitz zulaufender Gegenstand aus festem Material in Form eines Prismas mit dreieckiger Grundfläche | Dolch mit besonderer, geflammter Klinge |
Where the eye mixes Keil and Kris
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence. Keil (CVVC) and Kris (CCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses Keil with Kris
A purely visual mix-up. Keil ([kaɪ̯l]) and Kris ([kʁiːs]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 48334, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Keil is recorded at frequency rank #16,197, classified as anoun, pronounced [kaɪ̯l]. Kris is at rank #32,137, tagged as anoun, pronounced [kʁiːs].
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 48334, this pair ranks #1,252,354 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Keil vs Kris
Shared letters: ik. Private to "Keil": el. Private to "Kris": rs.
"Keil" · 4 letters · shape CVVC · "Kris" · 4 letters · shape CCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Keil" for "Kris" ever safe?
Frequency check: "Keil" vs "Kris" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "Keil" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Kris" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,252,354 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Keil" and "Kris" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Knies vs Kris". 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 #1,252,354 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.