klingvsKlonWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#24,403
“kling” frequency rank
#27,810
“Klon” frequency rank
52213
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature kling Klon
Definition 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs klingen Biologie, Genetik: Gesamtheit aller genetisch identischen Kopien eines Individuums

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set kling and Klon apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
kling
4 ch
Klon

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: kling is [klɪŋ] 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 (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 52213, 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]. 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 52213, this pair ranks #1,105,621 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of kling vs Klon

Shared letters: kln. Private to "kling": gi. Private to "Klon": o.

"kling" · 5 letters · shape CCVCC  ·  "Klon" · 4 letters · shape CCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • klingkilng · kkling · klign · klingg · klinng · klling · klnig · lking
  • Klonkklon · kllon · klno · klonn · koln · lkon

Frequency comparison

kling#24,403
Klon#27,810

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "kling" and "Klon" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "kling" is a verb and "Klon" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "kling" or "Klon"?
"kling" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #24,403 in our German list, against #27,810 for "Klon". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering kling vs Klon

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 “Klon”.
  • 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list