Which to use
“klären” and “klauen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #3,900
- “klären” frequency rank
- #7,076
- “klauen” frequency rank
- 10976
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | klären | klauen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | mitteilen, wie sich etwas in Wahrheit verhält | etwas entwenden, stehlen |
Where the eye mixes klären and klauen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses klären with klauen
A purely visual mix-up. klären ([ˈklɛːʁən]) and klauen ([ˈklaʊ̯ən]) 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 10976, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
klären is recorded at frequency rank #3,900, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈklɛːʁən]. klauen is at rank #7,076, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈklaʊ̯ən].
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 10976, this pair ranks #1,972,335 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of klären vs klauen
Shared letters: ekln. Private to "klären": rä. Private to "klauen": au.
"klären" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC · "klauen" · 6 letters · shape CCVVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- klauen ← kaluen · kklauen · klaeun · klauenn · klaune · kllauen · kluaen · lkauen
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "klären" for "klauen" ever safe?
Which is more common, "klären" or "klauen"?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "klären" and "klauen" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "klären" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "klauen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,972,335 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "klären" and "klauen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "klagten vs klauen". 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 #1,972,335 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.