Which to use
“baut” is a verb and “but” is a conjunction - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #3,357
- “baut” frequency rank
- #6,402
- “but” frequency rank
- 9759
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | baut | but |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs bauen | aber |
Where the eye mixes baut and but
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: baut vs but
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: baut is [baʊ̯t] while but is [bʌt]. 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 conjunction), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 9759, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
baut is recorded at frequency rank #3,357, classified as averb, pronounced [baʊ̯t]. but is at rank #6,402, tagged as aconj, pronounced [bʌt].
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 9759, this pair ranks #1,978,429 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of baut vs but
Shared letters: btu. Private to "baut": a. Private to "but": -.
"baut" · 4 letters · shape CVVC · "but" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- baut ← abut · batu · bautt · bbaut · buat
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "baut" and "but" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "baut" or "but"?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "baut" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "but" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,978,429 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "baut" and "but" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "bic vs but". 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 #1,978,429 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.