Which to use
“Kelle” and “Klee” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #36,441
- “Kelle” frequency rank
- #19,623
- “Klee” frequency rank
- 56064
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Kelle | Klee |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | ein Schöpflöffel | krautige Wiesen- und Futterpflanze, der Gattung Trifolium aus der Familie der Hülsenfrüchtler , mit meist drei-, selten vierteiligen Blättern und kugeligen Blüten |
Where the eye mixes Kelle and Klee
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. Kelle runs 5 letters (CVCCV) against Klee's 4 (CCVV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between Kelle and Klee
A purely visual mix-up. Kelle ([ˈkɛlə]) and Klee ([kleː]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 56064, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Kelle is recorded at frequency rank #36,441, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈkɛlə]. Klee is at rank #19,623, tagged as anoun, pronounced [kleː].
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 56064, this pair ranks #954,977 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Kelle vs Klee
Shared letters: ekl. Private to "Kelle": -. Private to "Klee": -.
"Kelle" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV · "Klee" · 4 letters · shape CCVV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Kelle" for "Klee" ever safe?
Frequency check: "Kelle" vs "Klee" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "Kelle" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Klee" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #954,977 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Kelle" and "Klee" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Kelle 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 #954,977 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.