GrafvsGrausWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

“Graf” and “Graus” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#2,768
“Graf” frequency rank
#43,228
“Graus” frequency rank
45996
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Graf Graus
Definition Adelstitel im Rang unter dem Fürsten und über dem Freiherrn etwas entsetzlich Fürchterliches

Where the eye mixes Graf and Graus

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.

4 ch
Graf
5 ch
Graus

Why the eye confuses Graf with Graus

A purely visual mix-up. Graf ([ɡʁaːf]) and Graus ([ɡʁaʊ̯s]) 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 45996, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Graf is recorded at frequency rank #2,768, classified as anoun, pronounced [ɡʁaːf]. 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 45996, this pair ranks #1,334,050 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Graf vs Graus

Shared letters: agr. Private to "Graf": f. Private to "Graus": su.

"Graf" · 4 letters · shape CCVC  ·  "Graus" · 5 letters · shape CCVVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Grafgarf · ggraf · graff · grfa · grraf · rgaf
  • Grausgarus · ggraus · grasu · grauss · grraus · gruas · rgaus

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "Graf" and "Graus" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([ɡʁaːf] versus [ɡʁaʊ̯s]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Graf" or "Graus"?
"Graf" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,768 in our German list, against #43,228 for "Graus". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

After this comparison

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Graf" 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 #1,334,050 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Graf" 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 #1,334,050 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list