KlingelvsklingenWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#20,975
“Klingel” frequency rank
#4,715
“klingen” frequency rank
25690
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Klingel klingen
Definition Gerät zum Klingeln einen glockenartigen Ton von sich geben

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Klingel and klingen apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
Klingel
7 ch
klingen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Klingel is [ˈklɪŋl̩] while klingen is [ˈklɪŋən]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - l in “Klingel” becomes n in “klingen”, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 25690, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Klingel is recorded at frequency rank #20,975, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈklɪŋl̩]. klingen is at rank #4,715, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈklɪŋən].

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 25690, this pair ranks #1,829,468 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Klingel vs klingen

Shared letters: egikln. Private to "Klingel": -. Private to "klingen": -.

"Klingel" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCVC  ·  "klingen" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Klingelkilngel · kklingel · klignel · klinegl · klingell · klinggel · klingle · klinngel
  • klingenkilngen · kklingen · klignen · klinegn · klingenn · klinggen · klingne · klinngen

Frequency comparison

Klingel#20,975
klingen#4,715

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Klingel" and "klingen" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "Klingel" is a noun and "klingen" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "Klingel" or "klingen"?
"klingen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,715 in our German list, against #20,975 for "Klingel". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Klingel vs klingen

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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