Which to use
“kau” and “klaut” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #41,934
- “kau” frequency rank
- #16,203
- “klaut” frequency rank
- 58137
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | kau | klaut |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs kauen | 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs klauen |
Where the eye mixes kau and klaut
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. kau runs 3 letters (CVV) against klaut's 5 (CCVVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses kau with klaut
A purely visual mix-up. kau ([kaʊ̯]) and klaut ([klaʊ̯t]) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 58137, 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]. klaut is at rank #16,203, tagged as averb, pronounced [klaʊ̯t].
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 58137, this pair ranks #874,323 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of kau vs klaut
Shared letters: aku. Private to "kau": -. Private to "klaut": lt.
"kau" · 3 letters · shape CVV · "klaut" · 5 letters · shape CCVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- klaut ← kalut · kklaut · klatu · klautt · kllaut · kluat · lkaut
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "kau" for "klaut" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "kau" or "klaut" show up more?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "kau" and "klaut" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "kau" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "klaut" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #874,323 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "kau" and "klaut" 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 #874,323 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.