KlagevsklammWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: Klage is a noun, klamm is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

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

#3,898
“Klage” frequency rank
#40,031
“klamm” frequency rank
43929
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Klage klamm
Definition sprachlich gefasste Äußerung unlustvoller Gefühle von Schmerz, Leid oder Trauer, etwa über den Tod eines Menschen feucht, oft in Verbindung mit dem Empfinden von Kälte

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Klage and klamm apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
Klage
5 ch
klamm

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Klage is [ˈklaːɡə] while klamm is [klam]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 43929, 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]. klamm is at rank #40,031, tagged as anadj, pronounced [klam].

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 43929, this pair ranks #1,402,528 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Klage vs klamm

Shared letters: akl. Private to "Klage": eg. Private to "klamm": m.

"Klage" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV  ·  "klamm" · 5 letters · shape CCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Klagekalge · kklage · klaeg · klagge · klgae · kllage · lkage
  • klammkalmm · kklamm · klam · kllamm · klmam · lkamm

Frequency comparison

Klage#3,898
klamm#40,031

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Klage" and "klamm" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "Klage" is a noun and "klamm" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "Klage" or "klamm"?
"Klage" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,898 in our German list, against #40,031 for "klamm". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering Klage vs klamm

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “Klage”; for an adjective, it's “klamm”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “Klage” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list