KiezvsKleeWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

“Kiez” and “Klee” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#19,621
“Kiez” frequency rank
#19,623
“Klee” frequency rank
39244
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Kiez Klee
Definition städtischer Bereich mit einer eigenen Infrastruktur als Lebenszentrum seiner Bewohner 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 Kiez and Klee

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence. Kiez (CVVC) and Klee (CCVV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.

4 ch
Kiez
4 ch
Klee

Look-alike desk: Kiez vs Klee

A purely visual mix-up. Kiez ([kiːt͡s]) 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 share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 39244, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Kiez is recorded at frequency rank #19,621, classified as anoun, pronounced [kiːt͡s]. 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 39244, this pair ranks #1,542,069 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Kiez vs Klee

Shared letters: ek. Private to "Kiez": iz. Private to "Klee": l.

"Kiez" · 4 letters · shape CVVC  ·  "Klee" · 4 letters · shape CCVV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Kiez ← ikez · keiz · kiezz · kize · kkiez
  • Klee ← kele · kklee · kle · kllee · lkee

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "Kiez" for "Klee" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([kiːt͡s] versus [kleː]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Kiez" or "Klee"?
"Kiez" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #19,621 in our German list, against #19,623 for "Klee". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

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 "Kiez" 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 #1,542,069 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Kiez" and "Klee" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Klee 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 #1,542,069 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