Which to use
“klau” and “klauen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #38,851
- “klau” frequency rank
- #7,076
- “klauen” frequency rank
- 45927
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | klau | klauen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs klauen | etwas entwenden, stehlen |
Where the eye mixes klau and klauen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: klau vs klauen
A purely visual mix-up. klau ([klaʊ̯]) 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 differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “klau” sits inside “klauen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 45927, 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]. 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 45927, this pair ranks #1,336,417 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of klau vs klauen
Shared letters: aklu. Private to "klau": -. Private to "klauen": en.
"klau" · 4 letters · shape CCVV · "klauen" · 6 letters · shape CCVVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "klau" and "klauen" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "klau" vs "klauen" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
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 "klauen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,336,417 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "klau" and "klauen" 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 #1,336,417 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.