Klinge vs klink, What's the Difference?

Which to use

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

#10,678
“Klinge” frequency rank: #38,853
“klink” frequency rank: 49531
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

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

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Klinge and klink apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch

Klinge

5 ch

klink

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Klinge is [ˈklɪŋə] while klink is [klɪŋk]. 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 (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 49531, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Klinge is recorded at frequency rank #10,678, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈklɪŋə]. klink is at rank #38,853, tagged as averb, pronounced [klɪŋk].

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 49531, this pair ranks #1,208,016 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Klinge vs klink

Shared letters: ikln. Private to "Klinge": eg. Private to "klink": -.

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

Known mistypes of this pair

Klinge ← kilnge · kklinge · kligne · klineg · klingge · klinnge · kllinge · klnige
klink ← kilnk · kklink · klikn · klinkk · klinnk · kllink · klnik · lkink

Frequency comparison

Klinge#10,678

klink#38,853

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Klinge" and "klink" be used interchangeably?

No - they are not even the same part of speech. "Klinge" is a noun and "klink" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.

Which is more common, "Klinge" or "klink"?

"Klinge" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #10,678 in our German list, against #38,853 for "klink". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Klinge vs klink

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “Klinge”; for a verb, it's “klink”.
See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “Klinge” entry
Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable