KlassevsKloseWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#600
“Klasse” frequency rank
#25,200
“Klose” frequency rank
25800
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Klasse Klose
Definition Gruppe gleichartiger Elemente deutscher Nachname

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Klasse and Klose apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
Klasse
5 ch
Klose

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Klasse is [ˈklasə] while Klose is [ˈkloːzə]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs name), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 25800, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Klasse is recorded at frequency rank #600, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈklasə]. Klose is at rank #25,200, tagged as aname, pronounced [ˈkloːzə].

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 25800, this pair ranks #1,827,805 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Klasse vs Klose

Shared letters: ekls. Private to "Klasse": a. Private to "Klose": o.

"Klasse" · 6 letters · shape CCVCCV  ·  "Klose" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Klassekalsse · kklasse · klase · klases · klaße · kllasse · klsase · lkasse
  • Klosekklose · kllose · kloes · klosse · klsoe · kolse · lkose

Frequency comparison

Klasse#600
Klose#25,200

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Klasse" and "Klose" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "Klasse" is a noun and "Klose" a name, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "Klasse" or "Klose"?
"Klasse" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #600 in our German list, against #25,200 for "Klose". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering Klasse vs Klose

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “Klasse”; for a name, it's “Klose”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “Klasse” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list