grauemvsGrausWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: grauem is a adjective, Graus is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“grauem” is an adjective and “Graus” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#39,976
“grauem” frequency rank
#43,228
“Graus” frequency rank
83204
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature grauem Graus
Definition Dativ Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs grau etwas entsetzlich Fürchterliches

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set grauem and Graus apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
grauem
5 ch
Graus

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: grauem is [ˈɡʁaʊ̯əm] while Graus is [ɡʁaʊ̯s]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 83204, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

grauem is recorded at frequency rank #39,976, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈɡʁaʊ̯əm]. 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 83204, this pair ranks #143,844 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of grauem vs Graus

Shared letters: agru. Private to "grauem": em. Private to "Graus": s.

"grauem" · 6 letters · shape CCVVVC  ·  "Graus" · 5 letters · shape CCVVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • grauemgaruem · ggrauem · graeum · grauemm · graume · grrauem · gruaem · rgauem
  • Grausgarus · ggraus · grasu · grauss · grraus · gruas · rgaus

Frequency comparison

grauem#39,976
Graus#43,228

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "grauem" and "Graus" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "grauem" is an adjective and "Graus" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "grauem" or "Graus"?
"grauem" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #39,976 in our German list, against #43,228 for "Graus". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering grauem vs Graus

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “grauem”; for a noun, it's “Graus”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “grauem” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list