KlausvsKlosWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#1,775
“Klaus” frequency rank
#29,193
“Klos” frequency rank
30968
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Klaus Klos
Definition meist an eine Synagoge angeschlossenes Lehrhaus oder angeschlossene Schule, in der Juden ihre Tora- und Talmudstudien betreiben können Genitiv Singular des Substantivs Klo

Where the eye mixes Klaus and Klos

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. Klaus runs 5 letters (CCVVC) against Klos's 4 (CCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

5 ch
Klaus
4 ch
Klos

Why the eye confuses Klaus with Klos

A purely visual mix-up. Klaus ([klaʊ̯s]) and Klos ([kloːs]) 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 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 30968, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Klaus is recorded at frequency rank #1,775, classified as anoun, pronounced [klaʊ̯s]. Klos is at rank #29,193, tagged as anoun, pronounced [kloːs].

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 30968, this pair ranks #1,737,400 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Klaus vs Klos

Shared letters: kls. Private to "Klaus": au. Private to "Klos": o.

"Klaus" · 5 letters · shape CCVVC  ·  "Klos" · 4 letters · shape CCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Klaus ← kalus · kklaus · klasu · klauss · kllaus · kluas · lkaus
  • Klos ← kklos · kllos · kloss · klso · kols · lkos

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Klaus" and "Klos" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([klaʊ̯s] versus [kloːs]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Klaus" or "Klos"?
"Klaus" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,775 in our German list, against #29,193 for "Klos". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

What to do next

Eye-level mix-up between "Klaus" and "Klos" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Klaus" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Klos" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,737,400 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Klaus" and "Klos" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Klos vs Koi". 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 #1,737,400 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list