klammvsklauWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#40,031
“klamm” frequency rank
#38,851
“klau” frequency rank
78882
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature klamm klau
Definition feucht, oft in Verbindung mit dem Empfinden von Kälte 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs klauen

Where the spellings diverge

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

5 ch
klamm
4 ch
klau

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

klamm and klau form a confusable pair in the German index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 1 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 78882, 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]. klau is at rank #38,851, tagged as averb, pronounced [klaʊ̯].

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 78882, this pair ranks #228,457 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Frequency comparison

klamm#40,031
klau#38,851

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "klamm" and "klau" be used interchangeably?
No, "klamm" and "klau" have distinct meanings and cannot be swapped without changing the meaning of a sentence. Understanding the specific definition and context for each word is essential for correct usage.

Remembering klamm vs klau

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 “klau”.
  • 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