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 eye mixes lame and Lämmer
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. lame runs 4 letters (CVCV) against Lämmer's 6 (CVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses lame with Lämmer
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": rä.
"lame" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "Lämmer" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- lame ← alme · laem · lamme · llame · lmae
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "lame" and "Lämmer" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "lame" or "Lämmer"?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "lame" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Lämmer" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #146,786 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "lame" and "Lämmer" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "lähmt vs lame". 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 #146,786 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.