lähmtvsLärmTell them apart

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

Which to use

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

#49,876
“lähmt” frequency rank
#5,622
“Lärm” frequency rank
55498
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature lähmt Lärm
Definition 2. Person Plural Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs lähmen subjektiv als unangenehm empfundener Schall, der unerwünschte Auswirkungen auf den Menschen hat (etwa das Gehör schädigt, krank machen kann, stört oder belästigt)

Where the eye mixes lähmt and Lärm

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.

5 ch
lähmt
4 ch
Lärm

Look-alike desk: lähmt vs Lärm

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: lähmt is [lɛːmt] while Lärm is [lɛʁm]. 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 55498, 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]. Lärm is at rank #5,622, tagged as anoun, pronounced [lɛʁm].

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 55498, this pair ranks #977,205 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of lähmt vs Lärm

Shared letters: lmä. Private to "lähmt": ht. Private to "Lärm": r.

"lähmt" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC  ·  "Lärm" · 4 letters · shape CVCC

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "lähmt" for "Lärm" ever safe?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "lähmt" is a verb and "Lärm" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
In ordinary German text, does "lähmt" or "Lärm" show up more?
"Lärm" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,622 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.

Useful next steps

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "lähmt" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Lärm" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #977,205 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "lähmt" and "Lärm" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "lähmt vs lame". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #977,205 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list