klebevsKrebseWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#41,281
“klebe” frequency rank
#46,089
“Krebse” frequency rank
87370
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature klebe Krebse
Definition 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs kleben Variante für den Dativ Singular des Substantivs Krebs

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set klebe and Krebse apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
klebe
6 ch
Krebse

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: klebe is [ˈkleːbə] while Krebse is [ˈkʁeːpsə]. 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 (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 87370, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

klebe is recorded at frequency rank #41,281, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈkleːbə]. Krebse is at rank #46,089, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈkʁeːpsə].

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 87370, this pair ranks #81,273 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of klebe vs Krebse

Shared letters: bek. Private to "klebe": l. Private to "Krebse": rs.

"klebe" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV  ·  "Krebse" · 6 letters · shape CCVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • klebekelbe · kklebe · klbee · klebbe · kleeb · kllebe · lkebe
  • Krebsekerbse · kkrebse · krbese · krebbse · krebes · krebsse · kresbe · krrebse

Frequency comparison

klebe#41,281
Krebse#46,089

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "klebe" and "Krebse" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "klebe" is a verb and "Krebse" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "klebe" or "Krebse"?
"klebe" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #41,281 in our German list, against #46,089 for "Krebse". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering klebe vs Krebse

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “klebe”; for a noun, it's “Krebse”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “klebe” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list