grauervsGrausWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#17,313
“grauer” frequency rank
#43,228
“Graus” frequency rank
60541
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature grauer Graus
Definition Nominativ 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 grauer and Graus apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
grauer
5 ch
Graus

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: grauer is [ˈɡʁaʊ̯ɐ] 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 60541, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

grauer is recorded at frequency rank #17,313, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈɡʁaʊ̯ɐ]. 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 60541, this pair ranks #783,151 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of grauer vs Graus

Shared letters: agru. Private to "grauer": e. Private to "Graus": s.

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

Known mistypes of this pair

  • grauergaruer · ggrauer · graeur · grauerr · graure · grrauer · gruaer · rgauer
  • Grausgarus · ggraus · grasu · grauss · grraus · gruas · rgaus

Frequency comparison

grauer#17,313
Graus#43,228

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "grauer" and "Graus" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "grauer" is an adjective and "Graus" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "grauer" or "Graus"?
"grauer" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #17,313 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 grauer vs Graus

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “grauer”; for a noun, it's “Graus”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “grauer” 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