klagten vs klären, What's the Difference?

Which to use

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

#45,387
“klagten” frequency rank: #3,900
“klären” frequency rank: 49287
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	klagten	klären
Definition	1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs klagen	mitteilen, wie sich etwas in Wahrheit verhält

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set klagten and klären apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch

klagten

6 ch

klären

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. klagten ([ˈklaːktn̩]) and klären ([ˈklɛːʁən]) 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 49287, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

klagten is recorded at frequency rank #45,387, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈklaːktn̩]. klären is at rank #3,900, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈklɛːʁən].

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 49287, this pair ranks #1,217,134 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of klagten vs klären

Shared letters: ekln. Private to "klagten": agt. Private to "klären": rä.

"klagten" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCVC · "klären" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

klagten ← kalgten · kklagten · klagetn · klaggten · klagtenn · klagtne · klagtten · klatgen

Frequency comparison

klagten#45,387

klären#3,900

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "klagten" and "klären" be used interchangeably?

No. They are said differently ([ˈklaːktn̩] versus [ˈklɛːʁən]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.

Which is more common, "klagten" or "klären"?

"klären" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,900 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.

Remembering klagten vs klären

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 “klagten” entry
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