Which to use
“Kreis” and “Kris” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #861
- “Kreis” frequency rank
- #32,137
- “Kris” frequency rank
- 32998
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Kreis | Kris |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | geometrischer Ort aller Punkte, die von einem gegebenen Punkt, dem (Kreis-)Mittelpunkt, den gleichen Abstand haben, genannt (Kreis-)Radius | Dolch mit besonderer, geflammter Klinge |
Where the eye mixes Kreis and Kris
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. Kreis runs 5 letters (CCVVC) against Kris's 4 (CCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses Kreis with Kris
A purely visual mix-up. Kreis ([kʁaɪ̯s]) and Kris ([kʁiːs]) 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 32998, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Kreis is recorded at frequency rank #861, classified as anoun, pronounced [kʁaɪ̯s]. Kris is at rank #32,137, tagged as anoun, pronounced [kʁiːs].
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 32998, this pair ranks #1,695,509 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Kreis vs Kris
Shared letters: ikrs. Private to "Kreis": e. Private to "Kris": -.
"Kreis" · 5 letters · shape CCVVC · "Kris" · 4 letters · shape CCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Kreis" and "Kris" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "Kreis" vs "Kris" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "Kreis" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Kris" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,695,509 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Kreis" and "Kris" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Knies vs Kris". 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 #1,695,509 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.