Which to use
“Kreis” and “Kreml” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #861
- “Kreis” frequency rank
- #17,635
- “Kreml” frequency rank
- 18496
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Kreis | Kreml |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | geometrischer Ort aller Punkte, die von einem gegebenen Punkt, dem (Kreis-)Mittelpunkt, den gleichen Abstand haben, genannt (Kreis-)Radius | eine für mehrere altrussische Städte typische Burg- oder Festungsanlage |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Kreis and Kreml apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
Kreis and Kreml form a confusable pair in the German index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 18496, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Kreis is recorded at frequency rank #861, classified as anoun, pronounced [kʁaɪ̯s]. Kreml is at rank #17,635, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈkʁɛml̩].
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 18496, this pair ranks #1,917,642 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Kreis" and "Kreml" be used interchangeably?
Remembering Kreis vs Kreml
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “Kreis” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable