Which to use
“klappte” and “klopfte” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #18,948
- “klappte” frequency rank
- #33,670
- “klopfte” frequency rank
- 52618
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | klappte | klopfte |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs klappen | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs klopfen |
Where the eye mixes klappte and klopfte
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses klappte with klopfte
A purely visual mix-up. klappte ([ˈklaptə]) and klopfte ([ˈklɔp͡ftə]) 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 52618, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
klappte is recorded at frequency rank #18,948, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈklaptə]. klopfte is at rank #33,670, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈklɔp͡ftə].
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 52618, this pair ranks #1,089,786 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of klappte vs klopfte
Shared letters: eklpt. Private to "klappte": a. Private to "klopfte": fo.
"klappte" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCCV · "klopfte" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "klappte" for "klopfte" ever safe?
Which is more common, "klappte" or "klopfte"?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "klappte" and "klopfte" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "klappte" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "klopfte" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,089,786 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "klappte" and "klopfte" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "klopf vs klopfte". 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 #1,089,786 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.