KlebervsKleeTell them apart

Which to use

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

#17,341
“Kleber” frequency rank
#19,623
“Klee” frequency rank
36964
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Kleber Klee
Definition Substanz, die genutzt werden kann, um zwei Teile miteinander zu verbinden 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 Kleber and Klee

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. Kleber runs 6 letters (CCVCVC) against Klee's 4 (CCVV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

6 ch
Kleber
4 ch
Klee

Why the eye confuses Kleber with Klee

A purely visual mix-up. Kleber ([ˈkleːbɐ]) 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 differ by 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 36964, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Kleber is recorded at frequency rank #17,341, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈkleːbɐ]. 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 36964, this pair ranks #1,602,221 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Kleber vs Klee

Shared letters: ekl. Private to "Kleber": br. Private to "Klee": -.

"Kleber" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC  ·  "Klee" · 4 letters · shape CCVV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Kleber ← kelber · kkleber · klbeer · klebber · kleberr · klebre · kleebr · klleber
  • Klee ← kele · kklee · kle · kllee · lkee

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Kleber" and "Klee" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈkleːbɐ] versus [kleː]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Kleber" or "Klee"?
"Kleber" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #17,341 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.

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 "Kleber" 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 #1,602,221 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Kleber" 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 #1,602,221 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