kauvsKrugWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: kau is a verb, Krug is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“kau” is a verb and “Krug” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#41,934
“kau” frequency rank
#13,189
“Krug” frequency rank
55123
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature kau Krug
Definition 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs kauen zylindrisches Gefäß für Getränke

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set kau and Krug apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

3 ch
kau
4 ch
Krug

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: kau is [kaʊ̯] while Krug is [kʁuːk]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 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 55123, 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]. Krug is at rank #13,189, tagged as anoun, pronounced [kʁuːk].

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 55123, this pair ranks #991,883 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of kau vs Krug

Shared letters: ku. Private to "kau": a. Private to "Krug": gr.

"kau" · 3 letters · shape CVV  ·  "Krug" · 4 letters · shape CCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Krugkkrug · krgu · krrug · krugg · kurg · rkug

Frequency comparison

kau#41,934
Krug#13,189

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "kau" and "Krug" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "kau" is a verb and "Krug" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "kau" or "Krug"?
"Krug" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #13,189 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 Krug

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “kau”; for a noun, it's “Krug”.
  • 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

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list