Which to use
“kleiden” is a verb and “klein” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #23,199
- “kleiden” frequency rank
- #995
- “klein” frequency rank
- 24194
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | kleiden | klein |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | mit Kleidung versehen | von geringem Ausmaß |
Where the eye mixes kleiden and klein
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. kleiden runs 7 letters (CCVVCVC) against klein's 5 (CCVVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between kleiden and klein
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: kleiden is [ˈklaɪ̯dn̩] while klein is [klaɪ̯n]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 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 24194, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
kleiden is recorded at frequency rank #23,199, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈklaɪ̯dn̩]. 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 24194, this pair ranks #1,851,085 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of kleiden vs klein
Shared letters: eikln. Private to "kleiden": d. Private to "klein": -.
"kleiden" · 7 letters · shape CCVVCVC · "klein" · 5 letters · shape CCVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "kleiden" and "klein" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "kleiden" or "klein"?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "kleiden" 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 #1,851,085 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "kleiden" and "klein" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "kleiden vs kneifen". 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 #1,851,085 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.