kläglich
[ˈklɛːklɪç]
The verdict
“kläglich” is a moderately-common German word, ranked #27,374 in German word frequency and used as an adjective.
- #27,374
- frequency rank, German
- 8
- letters
- 13
- tracked misspellings
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Angst, Enttäuschung oder Schmerz ausdrückend
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | kläglich |
| Language | German |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | [ˈklɛːklɪç] |
| Letters | 8 |
| Frequency rank | #27,374 |
| Misspellings tracked | 13 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “kläglich” sits in German frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The German entry for kläglich is 8 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [ˈklɛːklɪç]. Corpus data places it at rank #27,374 in overall German word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for kläglich, with forms such as "kkläglich", "klgälich", and "klläglich". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.
Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct German form is kläglich, spelled K-L-Ä-G-L-I-C-H.
Definition
- 1Angst, Enttäuschung oder Schmerz ausdrückend
- 2Erwartungen enttäuschend
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: kkläglich,klgälich,klläglich,klägglich,klägilch,kläglcih,kläglicch,kläglichh,kläglihc,klägllich,klälgich,kälglich,lkäglich
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of kläglich - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 German corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you spell "kläglich"?
What does "kläglich" mean?
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Using “kläglich”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct German spelling is K-L-Ä-G-L-I-C-H - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as [ˈklɛːklɪç] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Browse more German words and confusable pairs in the same reference. German words
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.