Which to use
“Kiel” and “Kies” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #3,463
- “Kiel” frequency rank
- #18,946
- “Kies” frequency rank
- 22409
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Kiel | Kies |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | unterster Längsbalken entlang der Mittellinie eines Schiffes; auch flossenähnlicher Aufbau an der Unterseite von Wasserfahrzeugen | lose Gesteinsstücke in einer Korngröße von etwa 3 mm bis 30 mm |
Where the eye mixes Kiel and Kies
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between Kiel and Kies
A purely visual mix-up. Kiel ([kiːl]) and Kies ([kiːs]) 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 a single letter - l in “Kiel” becomes s in “Kies”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 22409, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Kiel is recorded at frequency rank #3,463, classified as anoun, pronounced [kiːl]. Kies is at rank #18,946, tagged as anoun, pronounced [kiːs].
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 22409, this pair ranks #1,874,520 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Kiel vs Kies
Shared letters: eik. Private to "Kiel": l. Private to "Kies": s.
"Kiel" · 4 letters · shape CVVC · "Kies" · 4 letters · shape CVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Kiel" for "Kies" ever safe?
Frequency check: "Kiel" vs "Kies" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "Kiel" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Kies" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,874,520 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Kiel" and "Kies" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Kies vs Knies". 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 #1,874,520 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.