KremlvsKremsWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: Kreml is a noun, Krems is a name, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“Kreml” is a noun and “Krems” is a name - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#17,635
“Kreml” frequency rank
#22,804
“Krems” frequency rank
40439
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Kreml Krems
Definition eine für mehrere altrussische Städte typische Burg- oder Festungsanlage Krems an der Donau; Stadtgemeinde in Niederösterreich

Where the spellings diverge

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

5 ch
Kreml
5 ch
Krems

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Kreml is [ˈkʁɛml̩] while Krems is [kʁɛms]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - l in “Kreml” becomes s in “Krems”, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs name), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 40439, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Kreml is recorded at frequency rank #17,635, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈkʁɛml̩]. Krems is at rank #22,804, tagged as aname, pronounced [kʁɛms].

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 40439, this pair ranks #1,508,483 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Kreml vs Krems

Shared letters: ekmr. Private to "Kreml": l. Private to "Krems": s.

"Kreml" · 5 letters · shape CCVCC  ·  "Krems" · 5 letters · shape CCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Kremlkerml · kkreml · krelm · kremll · kremml · krmel · krreml · rkeml
  • Kremskerms · kkrems · kremms · kremss · kresm · krmes · krrems · rkems

Frequency comparison

Kreml#17,635
Krems#22,804

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Kreml" and "Krems" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "Kreml" is a noun and "Krems" a name, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "Kreml" or "Krems"?
"Kreml" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #17,635 in our German list, against #22,804 for "Krems". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Kreml vs Krems

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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