klein
[klaɪ̯n]
The verdict
“klein” is in the everyday core of German, ranked #995 in German word frequency and used as an adjective.
- #995
- frequency rank, German
- 5
- letters
- 7
- tracked misspellings
- 20
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - von geringem Ausmaß
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | klein |
| Language | German |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | [klaɪ̯n] |
| Letters | 5 |
| Frequency rank | #995 |
| Misspellings tracked | 7 |
| Confusable pairs | 20 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “klein” sits in German frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The German entry for klein is 5 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [klaɪ̯n]. Corpus data places it at rank #995 in overall German word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for klein, with forms such as "kelin", "kklein", and "kleinn". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "Klon", "Kreis", "Kleve", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.
No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct German form is klein, spelled K-L-E-I-N.
Definition
- 1von geringem Ausmaß
- 2unbedeutend
- 3als Kleinbuchstabe, in Kleinbuchstaben oder mit kleinem Anfangsbuchstaben
- 4jung
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: kelin,kklein,kleinn,kleni,klien,kllein,lkein
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of klein - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.
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 "klein"?
What does "klein" mean?
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Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “klein”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct German spelling is K-L-E-I-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as [klaɪ̯n] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “Klon” - see the side-by-side comparison. klein vs Klon
- Browse more German words and confusable pairs in the same reference. German words
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.