KlagevsklagtenWhich spelling fits?

Quick tell: Klage is a noun, klagten is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“Klage” is a noun and “klagten” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#3,898
“Klage” frequency rank
#45,387
“klagten” frequency rank
49285
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Klage klagten
Definition sprachlich gefasste Äußerung unlustvoller Gefühle von Schmerz, Leid oder Trauer, etwa über den Tod eines Menschen 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs klagen

Where the eye mixes Klage and klagten

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. Klage runs 5 letters (CCVCV) against klagten's 7 (CCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

5 ch
Klage
7 ch
klagten

Look-alike desk: Klage vs klagten

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Klage is [ˈklaːɡə] while klagten is [ˈklaːktn̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 49285, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Klage is recorded at frequency rank #3,898, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈklaːɡə]. klagten is at rank #45,387, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈklaːktn̩].

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 49285, this pair ranks #1,217,207 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Klage vs klagten

Shared letters: aegkl. Private to "Klage": -. Private to "klagten": nt.

"Klage" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV  ·  "klagten" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Klage ← kalge · kklage · klaeg · klagge · klgae · kllage · lkage
  • klagten ← kalgten · kklagten · klagetn · klaggten · klagtenn · klagtne · klagtten · klatgen

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Klage" and "klagten" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "Klage" is a noun and "klagten" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "Klage" or "klagten"?
"Klage" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,898 in our German list, against #45,387 for "klagten". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

What to do next

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Klage" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "klagten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,217,207 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Klage" and "klagten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "klagten vs klärte". 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 #1,217,207 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list