KlonvsKlotzWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#27,810
“Klon” frequency rank
#20,976
“Klotz” frequency rank
48786
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Klon Klotz
Definition Biologie, Genetik: Gesamtheit aller genetisch identischen Kopien eines Individuums ursprünglich hölzerner kantiger großer Gegenstand

Where the eye mixes Klon and Klotz

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. Klon runs 4 letters (CCVC) against Klotz's 5 (CCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

4 ch
Klon
5 ch
Klotz

Why the eye confuses Klon with Klotz

A purely visual mix-up. Klon ([kloːn]) and Klotz ([klɔt͡s]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 48786, 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]. Klotz is at rank #20,976, tagged as anoun, pronounced [klɔt͡s].

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 48786, this pair ranks #1,235,694 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Klon vs Klotz

Shared letters: klo. Private to "Klon": n. Private to "Klotz": tz.

"Klon" · 4 letters · shape CCVC  ·  "Klotz" · 5 letters · shape CCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Klonkklon · kllon · klno · klonn · koln · lkon
  • Klotzkklotz · kllotz · klottz · klotzz · klozt · kltoz · koltz · lkotz

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "Klon" for "Klotz" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([kloːn] versus [klɔt͡s]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "Klon" vs "Klotz" - which ranks higher?
"Klotz" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #20,976 in our German list, against #27,810 for "Klon". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Klon" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Klotz" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,235,694 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Klon" and "Klotz" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Klon vs krönt". Nearby pair
  • Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes

Confusion rank #1,235,694 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list