Which to use
“klonen” and “klopfen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #40,034
- “klonen” frequency rank
- #12,745
- “klopfen” frequency rank
- 52779
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | klonen | klopfen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | ungeschlechtlich fortpflanzen, zum Beispiel indem man Stecklinge oder Senker setzt | durch periodische Bewegung ein rhythmisches Geräusch erzeugen |
Where the eye mixes klonen and klopfen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. klonen runs 6 letters (CCVCVC) against klopfen's 7 (CCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between klonen and klopfen
A purely visual mix-up. klonen ([ˈkloːnən]) and klopfen ([ˈklɔp͡fn̩]) 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 52779, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
klonen is recorded at frequency rank #40,034, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈkloːnən]. klopfen is at rank #12,745, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈklɔp͡fn̩].
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 52779, this pair ranks #1,083,586 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of klonen vs klopfen
Shared letters: eklno. Private to "klonen": -. Private to "klopfen": fp.
"klonen" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC · "klopfen" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "klonen" for "klopfen" ever safe?
Which is more common, "klonen" or "klopfen"?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "klonen" and "klopfen" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "klonen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "klopfen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,083,586 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "klonen" and "klopfen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "klonen vs kloppen". 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 #1,083,586 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.