Kelle

[ˈkɛlə]

/[ˈkɛlə]/ noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

The verdict

“Kelle” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #36,441) as a noun. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#36,441
frequency rank, German
4,158
“K” headwords
4
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - ein Schöpflöffel

Corpus desk

Index DE-kelle · Kelle · German

Kelle · rank #36,441 · 4 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #36,441
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-LOW 4 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,158
  • PHOTO-FINISH kehr

Nearest frequency peer: kehr (-1 rank slots)

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Frequency neighbourhood for “Kelle”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “Kelle” sits against the nearest ranked German headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

Kelle vs Kerl
60% similar
Kelle vs kill
40% similar
Kelle vs Klee
60% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for Kelle
PropertyValue
HeadwordKelle
LanguageGerman
Part of speechNoun
IPA[ˈkɛlə]
Letters5
Frequency rank#36,441
Misspellings tracked4
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Wo “Kelle” in der deutschen Häufigkeit sitzt

Die Häufigkeit läuft von den wenigen Alltagswörtern (links) bis zur langen, seltenen Schwanzseite (rechts).Kelleliegt hier:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Die Ticks laufen logarithmisch; jeder ist rund zehnmal seltener. In derselben Seltenheitsbandbreite liegen „kehr“ (#36,440), „Kathi“ (#36,439), „Kerbe“ (#36,443). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for Kelle is neighbouring look-alikes ("Kerl", "kill", …), not just typos; it is anoun pronounced [ˈkɛlə]. Frequency #36,441 among 4,158 “K” headwords. 5 recorded senses keep meaning in play.

Our generated misspelling index lists 4 likely wrong-spelling variants for Kelle, with forms such as "eklle", "kelel", and "kkelle". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "Kerl", "kill", "Klee", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct German form is Kelle, spelled K-E-L-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    ein Schöpflöffel
  2. 2
    ein Werkzeug eines Maurers zum Verputzen sowie Auftragen, Verteilen von Mörtel
  3. 3
    Signalstab eines Verkehrspolizisten, Bahnhofsvorstehers oder Schaffners
  4. 4
    Schwanz des Bibers
  5. 5
    Tischtennisschläger

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how Kelle appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Über dem Herd hing eine Garnitur Kellen.
  2. „Auf ein Zeichen des Patrons nahm die Patronin von dem Tablett, das Milta niedersenkte, die Suppenterrine, stellte sie auf den Tisch und schöpfte, indem sie sich flüchtig vor Robert neigte, mit einer silbernen Kelle einige Löffel voll auf seinen Teller.“

Synonyms

SchöpfkelleTraufelSignalstabBiberschwanz

This word in other languages

ladle(English)cucharón(Español)louche(Français)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • eklle
  • kelel
  • kkelle
  • klele

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of Kelle - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

eklle2kelel2kkelle1klele2
Edit distance from "Kelle"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 German corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "Kelle"?
"Kelle" is spelled K-E-L-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈkɛlə].
What does "Kelle" mean?
As a noun, "Kelle" means: ein Schöpflöffel
What words are commonly confused with "Kelle"?
"Kelle" is commonly confused with "Kerl", "kill", "Klee". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "Kelle"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Kelle" is [ˈkɛlə]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "Kelle" come from?
"Kelle" is a German word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar German words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "Kelle", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked German headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Kathi#36,439Kerbe#36,443Knauf#36,446Jacky#36,426

What to do next

You've looked up "Kelle". Here's where to go from here.

  • "Kelle" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "Kerl". View pair
  • 4 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #36,441 among German headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more German words in the "K" letter cohort. K–Z browse

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list