Which to use
“quälen” is a verb and “Qualm” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #15,188
- “quälen” frequency rank
- #40,776
- “Qualm” frequency rank
- 55964
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | quälen | Qualm |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | absichtlich Schmerzen zufügen, leiden machen | (als unangenehm empfundener) von einem Feuer aufsteigender dichter, quellender Rauch |
Where the eye mixes quälen and Qualm
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses quälen with Qualm
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: quälen is [ˈkvɛːlən] while Qualm is [kvalm]. 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 55964, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
quälen is recorded at frequency rank #15,188, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈkvɛːlən]. Qualm is at rank #40,776, tagged as anoun, pronounced [kvalm].
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 55964, this pair ranks #958,855 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of quälen vs Qualm
Shared letters: lqu. Private to "quälen": enä. Private to "Qualm": am.
"quälen" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC · "Qualm" · 5 letters · shape CVVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- Qualm ← qaulm · qqualm · quallm · qualmm · quaml · qulam · uqalm
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "quälen" and "Qualm" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "quälen" vs "Qualm" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "quälen" and "Qualm" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "quälen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Qualm" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #958,855 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "quälen" and "Qualm" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Qualm vs Quell". 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 #958,855 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.