Which to use
“klar” is an adjective and “klau” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #257
- “klar” frequency rank
- #38,851
- “klau” frequency rank
- 39108
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | klar | klau |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | frei von Unreinheiten oder generell Störendem | 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs klauen |
Where the eye mixes klar and klau
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: klar vs klau
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: klar is [klaːɐ̯] while klau is [klaʊ̯]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - r in “klar” becomes u in “klau”, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 39108, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
klar is recorded at frequency rank #257, classified as anadj, pronounced [klaːɐ̯]. klau is at rank #38,851, tagged as averb, pronounced [klaʊ̯].
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 39108, this pair ranks #1,545,858 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of klar vs klau
Shared letters: akl. Private to "klar": r. Private to "klau": u.
"klar" · 4 letters · shape CCVC · "klau" · 4 letters · shape CCVV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "klar" and "klau" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "klar" vs "klau" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "klar" and "klau" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "klar" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "klau" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,545,858 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "klar" and "klau" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "klau vs kola". 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 #1,545,858 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.