Which to use
“klau” and “klaut” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #38,851
- “klau” frequency rank
- #16,203
- “klaut” frequency rank
- 55054
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | klau | klaut |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs klauen | 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs klauen |
Where the eye mixes klau and klaut
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses klau with klaut
A purely visual mix-up. klau ([klaʊ̯]) and klaut ([klaʊ̯t]) 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 extra letter(s) - “klau” sits inside “klaut”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 55054, 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]. klaut is at rank #16,203, tagged as averb, pronounced [klaʊ̯t].
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 55054, this pair ranks #994,545 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of klau vs klaut
Shared letters: aklu. Private to "klau": -. Private to "klaut": t.
"klau" · 4 letters · shape CCVV · "klaut" · 5 letters · shape CCVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "klau" for "klaut" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "klau" or "klaut" show up more?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "klau" and "klaut" 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 "klaut" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #994,545 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "klau" and "klaut" 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 #994,545 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.