Which to use
“lame” and “Lump” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #49,857
- “lame” frequency rank
- #31,669
- “Lump” frequency rank
- 81526
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | lame | Lump |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | dünne Platte, dünne Schicht, Klinge | gemeiner Mensch, Mensch mit schlechtem Charakter |
Where the eye mixes lame and Lump
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence. lame (CVCV) and Lump (CVCC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses lame with Lump
A purely visual mix-up. lame ([lam]) and Lump ([lʊmp]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 81526, 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]. Lump is at rank #31,669, tagged as anoun, pronounced [lʊmp].
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 81526, this pair ranks #174,095 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of lame vs Lump
Shared letters: lm. Private to "lame": ae. Private to "Lump": pu.
"lame" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "Lump" · 4 letters · shape CVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "lame" for "Lump" ever safe?
Frequency check: "lame" vs "Lump" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "lame" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Lump" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #174,095 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "lame" and "Lump" 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 #174,095 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.