Which to use
“kauen” is a verb and “Klaue” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #22,394
- “kauen” frequency rank
- #38,224
- “Klaue” frequency rank
- 60618
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | kauen | Klaue |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Nahrung mit den Zähnen, durch wiederholtes Öffnen und Schließen der Kiefer, zerkleinern | Hornteil des Tierfußes, besonders Huf von Wiederkäuern, Kralle von Raubvögeln |
Where the eye mixes kauen and Klaue
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. kauen (CVVVC) and Klaue (CCVVV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Look-alike desk: kauen vs Klaue
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: kauen is [ˈkaʊ̯ən] while Klaue is [ˈklaʊ̯ə]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 4 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 60618, 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]. Klaue is at rank #38,224, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈklaʊ̯ə].
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 60618, this pair ranks #780,282 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of kauen vs Klaue
Shared letters: aeku. Private to "kauen": n. Private to "Klaue": l.
"kauen" · 5 letters · shape CVVVC · "Klaue" · 5 letters · shape CCVVV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "kauen" and "Klaue" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "kauen" or "Klaue"?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "kauen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Klaue" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #780,282 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "kauen" and "Klaue" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Klaue vs Knaus". 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 #780,282 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.