klauenvskrähenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“klauen” and “krähen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#7,076
“klauen” frequency rank
#26,490
“krähen” frequency rank
33566
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature klauen krähen
Definition etwas entwenden, stehlen den typischen Tierlaut eines Hahnes machen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set klauen and krähen apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
klauen
6 ch
krähen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. klauen ([ˈklaʊ̯ən]) and krähen ([ˈkʁɛːən]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 3 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 33566, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

klauen is recorded at frequency rank #7,076, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈklaʊ̯ən]. krähen is at rank #26,490, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈkʁɛːən].

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 33566, this pair ranks #1,683,100 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of klauen vs krähen

Shared letters: ekn. Private to "klauen": alu. Private to "krähen": hrä.

"klauen" · 6 letters · shape CCVVVC  ·  "krähen" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • klauenkaluen · kklauen · klaeun · klauenn · klaune · kllauen · kluaen · lkauen

Frequency comparison

klauen#7,076
krähen#26,490

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "klauen" and "krähen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈklaʊ̯ən] versus [ˈkʁɛːən]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "klauen" or "krähen"?
"klauen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #7,076 in our German list, against #26,490 for "krähen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering klauen vs krähen

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “klauen” 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