KaufvsKlausConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#1,668
“Kauf” frequency rank
#1,775
“Klaus” frequency rank
3443
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Kauf Klaus
Definition der entgeltliche Erwerb einer Ware meist an eine Synagoge angeschlossenes Lehrhaus oder angeschlossene Schule, in der Juden ihre Tora- und Talmudstudien betreiben können

Where the eye mixes Kauf and Klaus

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.

4 ch
Kauf
5 ch
Klaus

Visual trap between Kauf and Klaus

A purely visual mix-up. Kauf ([kaʊ̯f]) and Klaus ([klaʊ̯s]) 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 3443, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Kauf is recorded at frequency rank #1,668, classified as anoun, pronounced [kaʊ̯f]. Klaus is at rank #1,775, tagged as anoun, pronounced [klaʊ̯s].

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 3443, this pair ranks #2,000,206 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Kauf vs Klaus

Shared letters: aku. Private to "Kauf": f. Private to "Klaus": ls.

"Kauf" · 4 letters · shape CVVC  ·  "Klaus" · 5 letters · shape CCVVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Kaufakuf · kafu · kauff · kkauf · kuaf
  • Klauskalus · kklaus · klasu · klauss · kllaus · kluas · lkaus

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "Kauf" and "Klaus" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([kaʊ̯f] versus [klaʊ̯s]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Kauf" or "Klaus"?
"Kauf" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,668 in our German list, against #1,775 for "Klaus". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

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 "Kauf" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Klaus" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #2,000,206 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Kauf" and "Klaus" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Klaus 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 #2,000,206 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list