Which to use
“klau” is a verb and “Klaue” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #38,851
- “klau” frequency rank
- #38,224
- “Klaue” frequency rank
- 77075
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | klau | Klaue |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs klauen | Hornteil des Tierfußes, besonders Huf von Wiederkäuern, Kralle von Raubvögeln |
Where the eye mixes klau and Klaue
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. klau runs 4 letters (CCVV) against Klaue's 5 (CCVVV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses klau with Klaue
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: klau is [klaʊ̯] while Klaue is [ˈklaʊ̯ə]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “klau” sits inside “Klaue”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 77075, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
klau is recorded at frequency rank #38,851, classified as averb, pronounced [klaʊ̯]. Klaue is at rank #38,224, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈklaʊ̯ə].
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 77075, this pair ranks #269,063 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of klau vs Klaue
Shared letters: aklu. Private to "klau": -. Private to "Klaue": e.
"klau" · 4 letters · shape CCVV · "Klaue" · 5 letters · shape CCVVV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "klau" and "Klaue" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "klau" or "Klaue"?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "klau" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Klaue" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #269,063 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "klau" and "Klaue" 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 #269,063 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.