kau vs kom, What's the Difference?

Which to use

“kau” and “kom” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#41,934
“kau” frequency rank: #26,482
“kom” frequency rank: 68416
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	kau	kom
Definition	2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs kauen	Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs komme

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set kau and kom apart are highlighted. They share 1 letter in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

3 ch

kau

3 ch

kom

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. kau ([kaʊ̯]) and kom ([ˈɡ̊ʰʌmˀ]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 68416, 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]. kom is at rank #26,482, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈɡ̊ʰʌmˀ].

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 68416, this pair ranks #508,483 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of kau vs kom

Shared letters: k. Private to "kau": au. Private to "kom": mo.

"kau" · 3 letters · shape CVV · "kom" · 3 letters · shape CVC

Frequency comparison

kau#41,934

kom#26,482

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "kau" and "kom" be used interchangeably?

No. They are said differently ([kaʊ̯] versus [ˈɡ̊ʰʌmˀ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.

Which is more common, "kau" or "kom"?

"kom" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #26,482 in our German list, against #41,934 for "kau". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering kau vs kom

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “kau” entry
Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable