Which to use
“grau” is an adjective and “Graz” is a name - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #4,519
- “grau” frequency rank
- #3,741
- “Graz” frequency rank
- 8260
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | grau | Graz |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | in einer Farbe, die eine Mischung aus schwarz und weiß ist, gehalten | Landeshauptstadt des österreichischen Bundeslandes Steiermark |
Where the eye mixes grau and Graz
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between grau and Graz
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: grau is [ɡʁaʊ̯] while Graz is [ɡʁaːt͡s]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - u in “grau” becomes z in “Graz”, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs name), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 8260, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
grau is recorded at frequency rank #4,519, classified as anadj, pronounced [ɡʁaʊ̯]. Graz is at rank #3,741, tagged as aname, pronounced [ɡʁaːt͡s].
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 8260, this pair ranks #1,984,999 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of grau vs Graz
Shared letters: agr. Private to "grau": u. Private to "Graz": z.
"grau" · 4 letters · shape CCVV · "Graz" · 4 letters · shape CCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "grau" and "Graz" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "grau" or "Graz"?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "grau" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Graz" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,984,999 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "grau" and "Graz" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Gao vs grau". 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 #1,984,999 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.