KernenvsklonenConfusable pair

Quick tell: Kernen is a noun, klonen is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“Kernen” is a noun and “klonen” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#32,117
“Kernen” frequency rank
#40,034
“klonen” frequency rank
72151
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Kernen klonen
Definition Dativ Plural des Substantivs Kern ungeschlechtlich fortpflanzen, zum Beispiel indem man Stecklinge oder Senker setzt

Where the eye mixes Kernen and klonen

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.

6 ch
Kernen
6 ch
klonen

Why the eye confuses Kernen with klonen

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Kernen is [ˈkɛʁnən] while klonen is [ˈkloːnən]. 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 (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 72151, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Kernen is recorded at frequency rank #32,117, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈkɛʁnən]. klonen is at rank #40,034, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈkloːnən].

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 72151, this pair ranks #396,358 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of Kernen vs klonen

Shared letters: ekn. Private to "Kernen": r. Private to "klonen": lo.

"Kernen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "klonen" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Kernenekrnen · kenren · kerenn · kernenn · kernnen · kerrnen · kkernen · krenen
  • klonenkklonen · kllonen · klnoen · kloenn · klonenn · klonne · klonnen · kolnen

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Kernen" and "klonen" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "Kernen" is a noun and "klonen" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "Kernen" or "klonen"?
"Kernen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #32,117 in our German list, against #40,034 for "klonen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Kernen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "klonen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #396,358 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Kernen" and "klonen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "klonen vs kloppen". 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 #396,358 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list