KlonvsklonenWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#27,810
“Klon” frequency rank
#40,034
“klonen” frequency rank
67844
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Klon klonen
Definition Biologie, Genetik: Gesamtheit aller genetisch identischen Kopien eines Individuums ungeschlechtlich fortpflanzen, zum Beispiel indem man Stecklinge oder Senker setzt

Where the spellings diverge

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

4 ch
Klon
6 ch
klonen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Klon is [kloːn] while klonen is [ˈkloːnən]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “Klon” sits inside “klonen”, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 67844, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Klon is recorded at frequency rank #27,810, classified as anoun, pronounced [kloːn]. klonen is at rank #40,034, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈkloːnən].

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 67844, this pair ranks #526,998 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Klon vs klonen

Shared letters: klno. Private to "Klon": -. Private to "klonen": e.

"Klon" · 4 letters · shape CCVC  ·  "klonen" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Klonkklon · kllon · klno · klonn · koln · lkon
  • klonenkklonen · kllonen · klnoen · kloenn · klonenn · klonne · klonnen · kolnen

Frequency comparison

Klon#27,810
klonen#40,034

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Klon" and "klonen" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "Klon" is a noun and "klonen" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "Klon" or "klonen"?
"Klon" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #27,810 in our German list, against #40,034 for "klonen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Klon vs klonen

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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