Which to use
“kleben” is a verb and “klein” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #10,312
- “kleben” frequency rank
- #995
- “klein” frequency rank
- 11307
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | kleben | klein |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | zwei Gegenstände mit einem Hilfsstoff (Klebstoff) zum dauernden Aneinanderhaften bringen | von geringem Ausmaß |
Where the eye mixes kleben and klein
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses kleben with klein
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: kleben is [ˈkleːbn̩] while klein is [klaɪ̯n]. 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 adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 11307, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
kleben is recorded at frequency rank #10,312, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈkleːbn̩]. klein is at rank #995, tagged as anadj, pronounced [klaɪ̯n].
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 11307, this pair ranks #1,970,559 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of kleben vs klein
Shared letters: ekln. Private to "kleben": b. Private to "klein": i.
"kleben" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC · "klein" · 5 letters · shape CCVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "kleben" and "klein" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary German text, does "kleben" or "klein" show up more?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "kleben" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "klein" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,970,559 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "kleben" and "klein" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "klebe vs kleben". 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 #1,970,559 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.