lähmtvslameWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: lähmt is a verb, lame is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“lähmt” is a verb and “lame” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#49,876
“lähmt” frequency rank
#49,857
“lame” frequency rank
99733
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature lähmt lame
Definition 2. Person Plural Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs lähmen dünne Platte, dünne Schicht, Klinge

Where the spellings diverge

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

5 ch
lähmt
4 ch
lame

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: lähmt is [lɛːmt] while lame is [lam]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 99733, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

lähmt is recorded at frequency rank #49,876, classified as averb, pronounced [lɛːmt]. lame is at rank #49,857, tagged as anoun, pronounced [lam].

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 99733, this pair ranks #97 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of lähmt vs lame

Shared letters: lm. Private to "lähmt": htä. Private to "lame": ae.

"lähmt" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC  ·  "lame" · 4 letters · shape CVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • lamealme · laem · lamme · llame · lmae

Frequency comparison

lähmt#49,876
lame#49,857

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "lähmt" and "lame" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "lähmt" is a verb and "lame" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "lähmt" or "lame"?
"lame" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #49,857 in our German list, against #49,876 for "lähmt". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering lähmt vs lame

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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