klammvsklärtWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: klamm is a adjective, klärt is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

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

#40,031
“klamm” frequency rank
#12,951
“klärt” frequency rank
52982
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature klamm klärt
Definition feucht, oft in Verbindung mit dem Empfinden von Kälte 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs klären

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set klamm and klärt apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
klamm
5 ch
klärt

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: klamm is [klam] while klärt is [klɛːɐ̯t]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 3 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 52982, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

klamm is recorded at frequency rank #40,031, classified as anadj, pronounced [klam]. klärt is at rank #12,951, tagged as averb, pronounced [klɛːɐ̯t].

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 52982, this pair ranks #1,075,659 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of klamm vs klärt

Shared letters: kl. Private to "klamm": am. Private to "klärt": rtä.

"klamm" · 5 letters · shape CCVCC  ·  "klärt" · 5 letters · shape CCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • klammkalmm · kklamm · klam · kllamm · klmam · lkamm

Frequency comparison

klamm#40,031
klärt#12,951

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "klamm" and "klärt" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "klamm" is an adjective and "klärt" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "klamm" or "klärt"?
"klärt" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #12,951 in our German list, against #40,031 for "klamm". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering klamm vs klärt

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “klamm”; for a verb, it's “klärt”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “klamm” 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