Which to use
“klein” is an adjective and “Klon” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #995
- “klein” frequency rank
- #27,810
- “Klon” frequency rank
- 28805
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | klein | Klon |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | von geringem Ausmaß | Biologie, Genetik: Gesamtheit aller genetisch identischen Kopien eines Individuums |
Where the eye mixes klein and Klon
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. klein runs 5 letters (CCVVC) against Klon's 4 (CCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between klein and Klon
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: klein is [klaɪ̯n] while Klon is [kloːn]. 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 (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 28805, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
klein is recorded at frequency rank #995, classified as anadj, pronounced [klaɪ̯n]. Klon is at rank #27,810, tagged as anoun, pronounced [kloːn].
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 28805, this pair ranks #1,778,262 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of klein vs Klon
Shared letters: kln. Private to "klein": ei. Private to "Klon": o.
"klein" · 5 letters · shape CCVVC · "Klon" · 4 letters · shape CCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "klein" for "Klon" ever safe?
Frequency check: "klein" vs "Klon" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "klein" and "Klon" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "klein" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Klon" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,778,262 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "klein" and "Klon" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Klon vs krönt". 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 #1,778,262 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.