KlassevsKlausTell them apart

Which to use

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

#600
“Klasse” frequency rank
#1,775
“Klaus” frequency rank
2375
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Klasse Klaus
Definition Gruppe gleichartiger Elemente meist an eine Synagoge angeschlossenes Lehrhaus oder angeschlossene Schule, in der Juden ihre Tora- und Talmudstudien betreiben können

Where the eye mixes Klasse and Klaus

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.

6 ch
Klasse
5 ch
Klaus

Why the eye confuses Klasse with Klaus

A purely visual mix-up. Klasse ([ˈklasə]) and Klaus ([klaʊ̯s]) 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 2375, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Klasse is recorded at frequency rank #600, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈklasə]. Klaus is at rank #1,775, tagged as anoun, pronounced [klaʊ̯s].

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 2375, this pair ranks #2,002,509 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Klasse vs Klaus

Shared letters: akls. Private to "Klasse": e. Private to "Klaus": u.

"Klasse" · 6 letters · shape CCVCCV  ·  "Klaus" · 5 letters · shape CCVVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Klassekalsse · kklasse · klase · klases · klaße · kllasse · klsase · lkasse
  • Klauskalus · kklaus · klasu · klauss · kllaus · kluas · lkaus

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "Klasse" and "Klaus" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([ˈklasə] versus [klaʊ̯s]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "Klasse" vs "Klaus" - which ranks higher?
"Klasse" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #600 in our German list, against #1,775 for "Klaus". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

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

  • Full dictionary entry for "Klasse" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Klaus" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #2,002,509 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Klasse" and "Klaus" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Klaus 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 #2,002,509 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