Which to use
“Kauf” is a noun and “klug” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #1,668
- “Kauf” frequency rank
- #5,727
- “klug” frequency rank
- 7395
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Kauf | klug |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | der entgeltliche Erwerb einer Ware | mit scharfem Verstand und logischem Denkvermögen ausgestattet; mit gut entwickelter Denkfähigkeit |
Where the eye mixes Kauf and klug
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between Kauf and klug
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Kauf is [kaʊ̯f] while klug is [kluːk]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 7395, 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]. klug is at rank #5,727, tagged as anadj, pronounced [kluːk].
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 7395, this pair ranks #1,988,315 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Kauf vs klug
Shared letters: ku. Private to "Kauf": af. Private to "klug": gl.
"Kauf" · 4 letters · shape CVVC · "klug" · 4 letters · shape CCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Kauf" and "klug" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "Kauf" vs "klug" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "Kauf" and "klug" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "Kauf" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "klug" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,988,315 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Kauf" and "klug" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "kaut vs klug". 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 #1,988,315 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.