Which to use
“Klee” is a noun and “klein” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #19,623
- “Klee” frequency rank
- #995
- “klein” frequency rank
- 20618
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Klee | klein |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | krautige Wiesen- und Futterpflanze, der Gattung Trifolium aus der Familie der Hülsenfrüchtler , mit meist drei-, selten vierteiligen Blättern und kugeligen Blüten | von geringem Ausmaß |
Where the eye mixes Klee and klein
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses Klee with klein
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Klee is [kleː] 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 (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 20618, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Klee is recorded at frequency rank #19,623, classified as anoun, pronounced [kleː]. 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 20618, this pair ranks #1,895,667 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Klee vs klein
Shared letters: ekl. Private to "Klee": -. Private to "klein": in.
"Klee" · 4 letters · shape CCVV · "klein" · 5 letters · shape CCVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Klee" and "klein" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "Klee" vs "klein" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "Klee" and "klein" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "Klee" 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 #1,895,667 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Klee" and "klein" 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 #1,895,667 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.