Which to use
“Qualm” is a noun and “quält” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #40,776
- “Qualm” frequency rank
- #28,340
- “quält” frequency rank
- 69116
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Qualm | quält |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | (als unangenehm empfundener) von einem Feuer aufsteigender dichter, quellender Rauch | 2. Person Plural Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs quälen |
Where the eye mixes Qualm and quält
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. Qualm and quält follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVVCC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Look-alike desk: Qualm vs quält
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Qualm is [kvalm] while quält is [kvɛːlt]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 69116, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Qualm is recorded at frequency rank #40,776, classified as anoun, pronounced [kvalm]. quält is at rank #28,340, tagged as averb, pronounced [kvɛːlt].
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 69116, this pair ranks #486,577 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of Qualm vs quält
Shared letters: lqu. Private to "Qualm": am. Private to "quält": tä.
"Qualm" · 5 letters · shape CVVCC · "quält" · 5 letters · shape CVVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- Qualm ← qaulm · qqualm · quallm · qualmm · quaml · qulam · uqalm
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Qualm" and "quält" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "Qualm" or "quält" show up more?
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 "Qualm" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "quält" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #486,577 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Qualm" and "quält" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "quält vs Quint". 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 #486,577 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.