Which to use
“klagen” is a verb and “kluger” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #4,212
- “klagen” frequency rank
- #20,313
- “kluger” frequency rank
- 24525
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | klagen | kluger |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | einen Verlust bejammern | Nominativ Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs klug |
Where the eye mixes klagen and kluger
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between klagen and kluger
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: klagen is [ˈklaːɡn̩] while kluger is [ˈkluːɡɐ]. 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 (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 24525, 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]. kluger is at rank #20,313, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈkluːɡɐ].
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 24525, this pair ranks #1,846,346 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of klagen vs kluger
Shared letters: egkl. Private to "klagen": an. Private to "kluger": ru.
"klagen" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC · "kluger" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "klagen" and "kluger" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "klagen" or "kluger" show up more?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "klagen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "kluger" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,846,346 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "klagen" and "kluger" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "kluger vs kluges". 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 #1,846,346 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.