kau vs kos, What's the Difference?

Which to use

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

#41,934
“kau” frequency rank: #36,463
“kos” frequency rank: 78397
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	kau	kos
Definition	2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs kauen	2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs kosen

Where the spellings diverge

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

3 ch

kau

3 ch

kos

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. kau ([kaʊ̯]) and kos ([koːs]) 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 78397, 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]. kos is at rank #36,463, tagged as averb, pronounced [koːs].

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 78397, this pair ranks #239,200 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of kau vs kos

Shared letters: k. Private to "kau": au. Private to "kos": os.

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

Frequency comparison

kau#41,934

kos#36,463

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

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

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

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

"kos" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #36,463 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 kos

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