kauenvsklärenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#22,394
“kauen” frequency rank
#3,900
“klären” frequency rank
26294
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature kauen klären
Definition Nahrung mit den Zähnen, durch wiederholtes Öffnen und Schließen der Kiefer, zerkleinern mitteilen, wie sich etwas in Wahrheit verhält

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set kauen and klären apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
kauen
6 ch
klären

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. kauen ([ˈkaʊ̯ən]) and klären ([ˈklɛːʁən]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 26294, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

kauen is recorded at frequency rank #22,394, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈkaʊ̯ən]. klären is at rank #3,900, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈklɛːʁən].

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 26294, this pair ranks #1,820,299 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of kauen vs klären

Shared letters: ekn. Private to "kauen": au. Private to "klären": lrä.

"kauen" · 5 letters · shape CVVVC  ·  "klären" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • kauenakuen · kaeun · kauenn · kaune · kkauen · kuaen

Frequency comparison

kauen#22,394
klären#3,900

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "kauen" and "klären" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈkaʊ̯ən] versus [ˈklɛːʁən]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "kauen" or "klären"?
"klären" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,900 in our German list, against #22,394 for "kauen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering kauen vs klären

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 “kauen” 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