Which to use
“grau” and “grün” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #4,519
- “grau” frequency rank
- #1,515
- “grün” frequency rank
- 6034
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | grau | grün |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | in einer Farbe, die eine Mischung aus schwarz und weiß ist, gehalten | die Farbe Grün zeigend, die im Lichtspektrum zwischen Gelb und Blau liegt (Wellenlänge 520–565 nm). |
Where the eye mixes grau and grün
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses grau with grün
A purely visual mix-up. grau ([ɡʁaʊ̯]) and grün ([ɡʁyːn]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 6034, 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]. grün is at rank #1,515, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ɡʁyːn].
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 6034, this pair ranks #1,992,947 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of grau vs grün
Shared letters: gr. Private to "grau": au. Private to "grün": nü.
"grau" · 4 letters · shape CCVV · "grün" · 4 letters · shape CCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- grau ← garu · ggrau · grrau · grua · rgau
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "grau" for "grün" ever safe?
Frequency check: "grau" vs "grün" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "grau" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "grün" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,992,947 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "grau" and "grün" 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 #1,992,947 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.