klagenvskläreWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“klagen” and “kläre” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#4,212
“klagen” frequency rank
#44,735
“kläre” frequency rank
48947
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature klagen kläre
Definition einen Verlust bejammern 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs klären

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
klagen
5 ch
kläre

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. klagen ([ˈklaːɡn̩]) and kläre ([ˈklɛːʁə]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 48947, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

klagen is recorded at frequency rank #4,212, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈklaːɡn̩]. kläre is at rank #44,735, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈklɛːʁə].

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 48947, this pair ranks #1,229,669 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of klagen vs kläre

Shared letters: ekl. Private to "klagen": agn. Private to "kläre": .

"klagen" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC  ·  "kläre" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • klagenkalgen · kklagen · klaegn · klagenn · klaggen · klagne · klgaen · kllagen

Frequency comparison

klagen#4,212
kläre#44,735

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "klagen" and "kläre" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈklaːɡn̩] versus [ˈklɛːʁə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "klagen" or "kläre"?
"klagen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,212 in our German list, against #44,735 for "kläre". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering klagen vs kläre

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “klagen” 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