Which to use
“Lärm” and “Lehm” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #5,622
- “Lärm” frequency rank
- #19,633
- “Lehm” frequency rank
- 25255
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Lärm | Lehm |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | subjektiv als unangenehm empfundener Schall, der unerwünschte Auswirkungen auf den Menschen hat (etwa das Gehör schädigt, krank machen kann, stört oder belästigt) | quarzhaltiger, kalkfreier Ton, der reich an Eisenverbindungen ist; gutes Ausgangsmaterial für Keramik und Ziegel |
Where the eye mixes Lärm and Lehm
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence. Lärm and Lehm follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Why the eye confuses Lärm with Lehm
A purely visual mix-up. Lärm ([lɛʁm]) and Lehm ([leːm]) 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 25255, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Lärm is recorded at frequency rank #5,622, classified as anoun, pronounced [lɛʁm]. Lehm is at rank #19,633, tagged as anoun, pronounced [leːm].
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 25255, this pair ranks #1,835,936 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Lärm vs Lehm
Shared letters: lm. Private to "Lärm": rä. Private to "Lehm": eh.
"Lärm" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "Lehm" · 4 letters · shape CVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- Lehm ← elhm · lehhm · lehmm · lemh · lhem · llehm
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Lärm" for "Lehm" ever safe?
Frequency check: "Lärm" vs "Lehm" - which ranks higher?
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 "Lärm" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Lehm" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,835,936 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Lärm" and "Lehm" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "lähmt vs Lehm". 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 #1,835,936 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.