Which to use
“klappen” and “klappte” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #7,075
- “klappen” frequency rank
- #18,948
- “klappte” frequency rank
- 26023
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | klappen | klappte |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | ein Teil von etwas in eine bestimmte Richtung oder Stellung wenden, biegen | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs klappen |
Where the eye mixes klappen and klappte
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: klappen vs klappte
A purely visual mix-up. klappen ([ˈklapn̩]) and klappte ([ˈklaptə]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 26023, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
klappen is recorded at frequency rank #7,075, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈklapn̩]. klappte is at rank #18,948, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈklaptə].
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 26023, this pair ranks #1,824,395 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of klappen vs klappte
Shared letters: aeklp. Private to "klappen": n. Private to "klappte": t.
"klappen" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCVC · "klappte" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "klappen" for "klappte" ever safe?
Frequency check: "klappen" vs "klappte" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "klappen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "klappte" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,824,395 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "klappen" and "klappte" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "klappte vs klärte". 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 #1,824,395 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.