kleidenvskleinWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: kleiden is a verb, klein is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

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 spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set kleiden and klein apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
kleiden
5 ch
klein

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

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

  • kleidenkeliden · kkleiden · kledien · kleidden · kleidenn · kleidne · kleiedn · klieden
  • kleinkelin · kklein · kleinn · kleni · klien · kllein · lkein

Frequency comparison

kleiden#23,199
klein#995

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "kleiden" and "klein" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "kleiden" is a verb and "klein" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "kleiden" or "klein"?
"klein" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #995 in our German list, against #23,199 for "kleiden". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering kleiden vs klein

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “kleiden”; for an adjective, it's “klein”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “kleiden” 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