Which to use
“klagen” and “klingen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #4,212
- “klagen” frequency rank
- #4,715
- “klingen” frequency rank
- 8927
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | klagen | klingen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | einen Verlust bejammern | einen glockenartigen Ton von sich geben |
Where the eye mixes klagen and klingen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between klagen and klingen
A purely visual mix-up. klagen ([ˈklaːɡn̩]) and klingen ([ˈklɪŋən]) 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 8927, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
klagen is recorded at frequency rank #4,212, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈklaːɡn̩]. klingen is at rank #4,715, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈklɪŋən].
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 8927, this pair ranks #1,982,180 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of klagen vs klingen
Shared letters: egkln. Private to "klagen": a. Private to "klingen": i.
"klagen" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC · "klingen" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "klagen" and "klingen" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "klagen" or "klingen"?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "klagen" and "klingen" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "klagen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "klingen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,982,180 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "klagen" and "klingen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "klagen vs klagten". 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 #1,982,180 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.