krähenvskrallenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#26,490
“krähen” frequency rank
#19,283
“krallen” frequency rank
45773
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature krähen krallen
Definition den typischen Tierlaut eines Hahnes machen sich mithilfe der Krallen oder Fingernägel an etwas festhalten

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set krähen and krallen apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
krähen
7 ch
krallen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. krähen ([ˈkʁɛːən]) and krallen ([ˈkʁalən]) 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 45773, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

krähen is recorded at frequency rank #26,490, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈkʁɛːən]. krallen is at rank #19,283, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈkʁalən].

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 45773, this pair ranks #1,341,692 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of krähen vs krallen

Shared letters: eknr. Private to "krähen": . Private to "krallen": al.

"krähen" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC  ·  "krallen" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • krallenkarllen · kkrallen · kraleln · kralen · krallenn · krallne · krlalen · krrallen

Frequency comparison

krähen#26,490
krallen#19,283

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "krähen" and "krallen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈkʁɛːən] versus [ˈkʁalən]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "krähen" or "krallen"?
"krallen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #19,283 in our German list, against #26,490 for "krähen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering krähen vs krallen

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 “krähen” 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