Which to use
“kau” is a verb and “Klaue” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #41,934
- “kau” frequency rank
- #38,224
- “Klaue” frequency rank
- 80158
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | kau | Klaue |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs kauen | Hornteil des Tierfußes, besonders Huf von Wiederkäuern, Kralle von Raubvögeln |
Where the eye mixes kau and Klaue
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. kau runs 3 letters (CVV) against Klaue's 5 (CCVVV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses kau with Klaue
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: kau is [kaʊ̯] while Klaue is [ˈklaʊ̯ə]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 80158, 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]. Klaue is at rank #38,224, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈklaʊ̯ə].
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 80158, this pair ranks #201,311 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of kau vs Klaue
Shared letters: aku. Private to "kau": -. Private to "Klaue": el.
"kau" · 3 letters · shape CVV · "Klaue" · 5 letters · shape CCVVV
Known mistypes of this pair
- Klaue ← kalue · kklaue · klaeu · kllaue · kluae · lkaue
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "kau" and "Klaue" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "kau" or "Klaue" show up more?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "kau" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Klaue" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #201,311 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "kau" and "Klaue" 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 #201,311 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.