Which to use
“kau” and “klau” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #41,934
- “kau” frequency rank
- #38,851
- “klau” frequency rank
- 80785
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | kau | klau |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs kauen | 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs klauen |
Where the eye mixes kau and klau
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. kau runs 3 letters (CVV) against klau's 4 (CCVV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between kau and klau
A purely visual mix-up. kau ([kaʊ̯]) and klau ([klaʊ̯]) 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 80785, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
kau is recorded at frequency rank #41,934, classified as averb, pronounced [kaʊ̯]. klau is at rank #38,851, tagged as averb, pronounced [klaʊ̯].
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 80785, this pair ranks #188,514 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of kau vs klau
Shared letters: aku. Private to "kau": -. Private to "klau": l.
"kau" · 3 letters · shape CVV · "klau" · 4 letters · shape CCVV
Known mistypes of this pair
- klau ← kalu · kklau · kllau · klua · lkau
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "kau" and "klau" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "kau" or "klau"?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "kau" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "klau" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #188,514 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "kau" and "klau" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "kau vs KGaA". 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 #188,514 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.