Which to use
“clock” and “clou” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #49,562
- “clock” frequency rank
- #39,272
- “clou” frequency rank
- 88834
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | clock | clou |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | feststehende Uhr, die im Gegensatz zur Armbanduhr nicht getragen werden kann | Nagel |
Where the eye mixes clock and clou
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between clock and clou
A purely visual mix-up. clock ([klɒk]) and clou ([klu]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 88834, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
clock is recorded at frequency rank #49,562, classified as anoun, pronounced [klɒk]. clou is at rank #39,272, tagged as anoun, pronounced [klu].
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 88834, this pair ranks #63,945 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of clock vs clou
Shared letters: clo. Private to "clock": k. Private to "clou": u.
"clock" · 5 letters · shape CCVCC · "clou" · 4 letters · shape CCVV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "clock" for "clou" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "clock" or "clou" 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 "clock" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "clou" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #63,945 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "clock" and "clou" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "clock vs cock". 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 #63,945 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.