KlaasvsKlaueTell them apart

Quick tell: Klaas is a name, Klaue is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“Klaas” is a name and “Klaue” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#20,641
“Klaas” frequency rank
#38,224
“Klaue” frequency rank
58865
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Klaas Klaue
Definition männlicher Vorname Hornteil des Tierfußes, besonders Huf von Wiederkäuern, Kralle von Raubvögeln

Where the eye mixes Klaas and Klaue

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. Klaas (CCVVC) and Klaue (CCVVV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.

5 ch
Klaas
5 ch
Klaue

Why the eye confuses Klaas with Klaue

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Klaas is [klaːs] while Klaue is [ˈklaʊ̯ə]. 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 (name vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 58865, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Klaas is recorded at frequency rank #20,641, classified as aname, pronounced [klaːs]. 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 58865, this pair ranks #846,364 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Klaas vs Klaue

Shared letters: akl. Private to "Klaas": s. Private to "Klaue": eu.

"Klaas" · 5 letters · shape CCVVC  ·  "Klaue" · 5 letters · shape CCVVV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Klaas ← kalas · kklaas · klaass · klas · klasa · kllaas · lkaas
  • Klaue ← kalue · kklaue · klaeu · kllaue · kluae · lkaue

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "Klaas" for "Klaue" ever safe?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "Klaas" is a name and "Klaue" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Frequency check: "Klaas" vs "Klaue" - which ranks higher?
"Klaas" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #20,641 in our German list, against #38,224 for "Klaue". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Eye-level mix-up between "Klaas" and "Klaue" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Klaas" 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 #846,364 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Klaas" 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 #846,364 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