klingvsKlingeWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: kling is a verb, Klinge is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“kling” is a verb and “Klinge” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#24,403
“kling” frequency rank
#10,678
“Klinge” frequency rank
35081
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature kling Klinge
Definition 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs klingen flacher, geschärfter Teil diverser Werkzeuge (zum Beispiel Beil, Sichel, Sense) und Waffen (Messer, Dolch, Axt), welcher die Schneide enthält

Where the spellings diverge

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

5 ch
kling
6 ch
Klinge

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: kling is [klɪŋ] while Klinge is [ˈklɪŋə]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “kling” sits inside “Klinge”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 35081, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

kling is recorded at frequency rank #24,403, classified as averb, pronounced [klɪŋ]. Klinge is at rank #10,678, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈklɪŋə].

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 35081, this pair ranks #1,648,549 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of kling vs Klinge

Shared letters: gikln. Private to "kling": -. Private to "Klinge": e.

"kling" · 5 letters · shape CCVCC  ·  "Klinge" · 6 letters · shape CCVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • klingkilng · kkling · klign · klingg · klinng · klling · klnig · lking
  • Klingekilnge · kklinge · kligne · klineg · klingge · klinnge · kllinge · klnige

Frequency comparison

kling#24,403
Klinge#10,678

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "kling" and "Klinge" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "kling" is a verb and "Klinge" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "kling" or "Klinge"?
"Klinge" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #10,678 in our German list, against #24,403 for "kling". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering kling vs Klinge

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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