Which to use
“kauft” and “kaut” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #3,536
- “kauft” frequency rank
- #46,771
- “kaut” frequency rank
- 50307
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | kauft | kaut |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 2. Person Plural Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs kaufen | 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs kauen |
Where the eye mixes kauft and kaut
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. kauft runs 5 letters (CVVCC) against kaut's 4 (CVVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses kauft with kaut
A purely visual mix-up. kauft ([kaʊ̯ft]) and kaut ([kaʊ̯t]) 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 50307, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
kauft is recorded at frequency rank #3,536, classified as averb, pronounced [kaʊ̯ft]. kaut is at rank #46,771, tagged as averb, pronounced [kaʊ̯t].
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 50307, this pair ranks #1,178,678 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of kauft vs kaut
Shared letters: aktu. Private to "kauft": f. Private to "kaut": -.
"kauft" · 5 letters · shape CVVCC · "kaut" · 4 letters · shape CVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "kauft" and "kaut" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "kauft" or "kaut"?
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 "kauft" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "kaut" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,178,678 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "kauft" and "kaut" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "kaut vs kräht". 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 #1,178,678 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.