Which to use
“Bau” is a noun and “bei” is a preposition - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #1,193
- “Bau” frequency rank
- #29
- “bei” frequency rank
- 1222
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Bau | bei |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Errichtung eines Hauses oder Bauwerkes | in unmittelbarer Nähe |
Where the eye mixes Bau and bei
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Look-alike desk: Bau vs bei
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Bau is [baʊ̯] while bei is [baɪ̯]. 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 preposition), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 1222, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Bau is recorded at frequency rank #1,193, classified as anoun, pronounced [baʊ̯]. bei is at rank #29, tagged as aprep, pronounced [baɪ̯].
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 1222, this pair ranks #2,004,711 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Bau vs bei
Shared letters: b. Private to "Bau": au. Private to "bei": ei.
"Bau" · 3 letters · shape CVV · "bei" · 3 letters · shape CVV
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "Bau" and "bei" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "Bau" or "bei"?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "Bau" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "bei" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #2,004,711 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Bau" and "bei" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Bau vs bic". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #2,004,711 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.