Which to use
“klau” is a verb and “Klaus” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #38,851
- “klau” frequency rank
- #1,775
- “Klaus” frequency rank
- 40626
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | klau | Klaus |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs klauen | meist an eine Synagoge angeschlossenes Lehrhaus oder angeschlossene Schule, in der Juden ihre Tora- und Talmudstudien betreiben können |
Where the eye mixes klau and Klaus
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses klau with Klaus
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: klau is [klaʊ̯] while Klaus is [klaʊ̯s]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “klau” sits inside “Klaus”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 40626, 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]. 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 40626, this pair ranks #1,503,050 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of klau vs Klaus
Shared letters: aklu. Private to "klau": -. Private to "Klaus": s.
"klau" · 4 letters · shape CCVV · "Klaus" · 5 letters · shape CCVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "klau" for "Klaus" ever safe?
Frequency check: "klau" vs "Klaus" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "klau" and "Klaus" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "klau" 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 #1,503,050 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "klau" and "Klaus" 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 #1,503,050 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.