Which to use
“clair” is an adjective and “clara” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #48,806
- “clair” frequency rank
- #9,874
- “clara” frequency rank
- 58680
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | clair | clara |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | hell, anschaulich, bestimmt, deutlich, klar, licht, lichtvoll | das Eiklar, das Eiweiß, die weiße (äußere) Flüssigkeit des Eis |
Where the eye mixes clair and clara
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between clair and clara
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: clair is [klɛʁ] while clara is [ˈkɫaɾə]. 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 (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 58680, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
clair is recorded at frequency rank #48,806, classified as anadj, pronounced [klɛʁ]. clara is at rank #9,874, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈkɫaɾə].
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 58680, this pair ranks #853,394 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of clair vs clara
Shared letters: aclr. Private to "clair": i. Private to "clara": -.
"clair" · 5 letters · shape CCVVC · "clara" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "clair" for "clara" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "clair" or "clara" 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 "clair" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "clara" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #853,394 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "clair" and "clara" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "carr vs clair". 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 #853,394 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.