klarvsklugWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#257
“klar” frequency rank
#5,727
“klug” frequency rank
5984
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature klar klug
Definition frei von Unreinheiten oder generell Störendem mit scharfem Verstand und logischem Denkvermögen ausgestattet; mit gut entwickelter Denkfähigkeit

Where the eye mixes klar and klug

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.

4 ch
klar
4 ch
klug

Look-alike desk: klar vs klug

A purely visual mix-up. klar ([klaːɐ̯]) and klug ([kluːk]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 5984, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

klar is recorded at frequency rank #257, classified as anadj, pronounced [klaːɐ̯]. 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 5984, this pair ranks #1,993,082 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of klar vs klug

Shared letters: kl. Private to "klar": ar. Private to "klug": gu.

"klar" · 4 letters · shape CCVC  ·  "klug" · 4 letters · shape CCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • klarkalr · kklar · klarr · kllar · klra · lkar
  • klugkklug · klgu · kllug · klugg · kulg · lkug

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "klar" and "klug" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([klaːɐ̯] versus [kluːk]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "klar" or "klug"?
"klar" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #257 in our German list, against #5,727 for "klug". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

What to do next

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "klar" 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 #1,993,082 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "klar" 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 #1,993,082 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