KlingevsKlinkeWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“Klinge” and “Klinke” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#10,678
“Klinge” frequency rank
#26,480
“Klinke” frequency rank
37158
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Klinge Klinke
Definition flacher, geschärfter Teil diverser Werkzeuge (zum Beispiel Beil, Sichel, Sense) und Waffen (Messer, Dolch, Axt), welcher die Schneide enthält Hebel zum Öffnen einer Tür durch Verschieben eines Riegels

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
Klinge
6 ch
Klinke

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Klinge ([ˈklɪŋə]) and Klinke ([ˈklɪŋkə]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by a single letter - g in “Klinge” becomes k in “Klinke”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 37158, 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]. Klinke is at rank #26,480, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈklɪŋkə].

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 37158, this pair ranks #1,597,354 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Klinge vs Klinke

Shared letters: eikln. Private to "Klinge": g. Private to "Klinke": -.

"Klinge" · 6 letters · shape CCVCCV  ·  "Klinke" · 6 letters · shape CCVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Klingekilnge · kklinge · kligne · klineg · klingge · klinnge · kllinge · klnige
  • Klinkekilnke · kklinke · klikne · klinek · klinkke · klinnke · kllinke · klnike

Frequency comparison

Klinge#10,678
Klinke#26,480

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Klinge" and "Klinke" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈklɪŋə] versus [ˈklɪŋkə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Klinge" or "Klinke"?
"Klinge" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #10,678 in our German list, against #26,480 for "Klinke". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Klinge vs Klinke

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • 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

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list