klagtenvsklauenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#45,387
“klagten” frequency rank
#7,076
“klauen” frequency rank
52463
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature klagten klauen
Definition 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs klagen etwas entwenden, stehlen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set klagten and klauen apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
klagten
6 ch
klauen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. klagten ([ˈklaːktn̩]) and klauen ([ˈklaʊ̯ən]) 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 52463, 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]. klauen is at rank #7,076, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈklaʊ̯ən].

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 52463, this pair ranks #1,095,885 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of klagten vs klauen

Shared letters: aekln. Private to "klagten": gt. Private to "klauen": u.

"klagten" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCVC  ·  "klauen" · 6 letters · shape CCVVVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • klagtenkalgten · kklagten · klagetn · klaggten · klagtenn · klagtne · klagtten · klatgen
  • klauenkaluen · kklauen · klaeun · klauenn · klaune · kllauen · kluaen · lkauen

Frequency comparison

klagten#45,387
klauen#7,076

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "klagten" and "klauen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈklaːktn̩] versus [ˈklaʊ̯ən]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "klagten" or "klauen"?
"klauen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #7,076 in our German list, against #45,387 for "klagten". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering klagten vs klauen

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
  • 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