Which to use
“klingen” is a verb and “klingende” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #4,715
- “klingen” frequency rank
- #28,731
- “klingende” frequency rank
- 33446
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | klingen | klingende |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | einen glockenartigen Ton von sich geben | Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs klingend |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set klingen and klingende apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
klingen and klingende form a confusable pair in the German index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “klingen” sits inside “klingende” - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 33446, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
klingen is recorded at frequency rank #4,715, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈklɪŋən]. klingende is at rank #28,731, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈklɪŋəndə].
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 33446, this pair ranks #1,685,832 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "klingen" and "klingende" be used interchangeably?
Remembering klingen vs klingende
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “klingen”; for an adjective, it's “klingende”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “klingen” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable