lamevsLämmerWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#49,857
“lame” frequency rank
#33,176
“Lämmer” frequency rank
83033
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature lame Lämmer
Definition dünne Platte, dünne Schicht, Klinge Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Lamm

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set lame and Lämmer apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
lame
6 ch
Lämmer

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. lame ([lam]) and Lämmer ([ˈlɛmɐ]) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 83033, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

lame is recorded at frequency rank #49,857, classified as anoun, pronounced [lam]. Lämmer is at rank #33,176, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈlɛmɐ].

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 83033, this pair ranks #146,786 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of lame vs Lämmer

Shared letters: elm. Private to "lame": a. Private to "Lämmer": .

"lame" · 4 letters · shape CVCV  ·  "Lämmer" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • lamealme · laem · lamme · llame · lmae

Frequency comparison

lame#49,857
Lämmer#33,176

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "lame" and "Lämmer" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([lam] versus [ˈlɛmɐ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "lame" or "Lämmer"?
"Lämmer" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #33,176 in our German list, against #49,857 for "lame". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering lame vs Lämmer

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 “lame” 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