Which to use
“Kern” is a noun and “klein” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #2,602
- “Kern” frequency rank
- #995
- “klein” frequency rank
- 3597
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Kern | klein |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | in der Mitte befindlicher Hauptbestandteil eines Ganzen; Basis, Zentrum | von geringem Ausmaß |
Where the eye mixes Kern and klein
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: Kern vs klein
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Kern is [kɛʁn] while klein is [klaɪ̯n]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 3597, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Kern is recorded at frequency rank #2,602, classified as anoun, pronounced [kɛʁn]. klein is at rank #995, tagged as anadj, pronounced [klaɪ̯n].
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 3597, this pair ranks #1,999,836 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Kern vs klein
Shared letters: ekn. Private to "Kern": r. Private to "klein": il.
"Kern" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "klein" · 5 letters · shape CCVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Kern" for "klein" ever safe?
Frequency check: "Kern" vs "klein" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "Kern" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "klein" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,999,836 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Kern" and "klein" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Kern vs ködern". 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 #1,999,836 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.