Which to use
“GAU” is an abbrev and “Graus” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #17,582
- “GAU” frequency rank
- #43,228
- “Graus” frequency rank
- 60810
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | GAU | Graus |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Größter Anzunehmender Unfall: schwerwiegendster Störfall eines Kernkraftwerks, für den es konstruktiv vorbereitet sein muss, den es also noch verkraften kann ohne dass es zu relevanten Freisetzungen von Radioaktivität kommt (dieses historische Konzept ist heute ersetzt durch die Auslegungsstörfälle im Konzept der gestaffelten Sicherheit) | etwas entsetzlich Fürchterliches |
Where the eye mixes GAU and Graus
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between GAU and Graus
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: GAU is [ɡaʊ̯] while Graus is [ɡʁaʊ̯s]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (abbrev vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 60810, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
GAU is recorded at frequency rank #17,582, classified as anabbrev, pronounced [ɡaʊ̯]. Graus is at rank #43,228, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ɡʁaʊ̯s].
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 60810, this pair ranks #773,189 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of GAU vs Graus
Shared letters: agu. Private to "GAU": -. Private to "Graus": rs.
"GAU" · 3 letters · shape CVV · "Graus" · 5 letters · shape CCVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- Graus ← garus · ggraus · grasu · grauss · grraus · gruas · rgaus
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "GAU" and "Graus" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "GAU" or "Graus"?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "GAU" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Graus" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #773,189 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "GAU" and "Graus" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Graus vs grave". 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 #773,189 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.