KlausvsKultusTell them apart

Which to use

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

#1,775
“Klaus” frequency rank
#42,640
“Kultus” frequency rank
44415
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Klaus Kultus
Definition meist an eine Synagoge angeschlossenes Lehrhaus oder angeschlossene Schule, in der Juden ihre Tora- und Talmudstudien betreiben können Verehrung einer Gottheit durch religiöse, rituelle Handlungen

Where the eye mixes Klaus and Kultus

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. Klaus runs 5 letters (CCVVC) against Kultus's 6 (CVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

5 ch
Klaus
6 ch
Kultus

Why the eye confuses Klaus with Kultus

A purely visual mix-up. Klaus ([klaʊ̯s]) and Kultus ([ˈkʊltʊs]) 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 44415, 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]. Kultus is at rank #42,640, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈkʊltʊs].

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 44415, this pair ranks #1,386,903 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Klaus vs Kultus

Shared letters: klsu. Private to "Klaus": a. Private to "Kultus": t.

"Klaus" · 5 letters · shape CCVVC  ·  "Kultus" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Klauskalus · kklaus · klasu · klauss · kllaus · kluas · lkaus
  • Kultuskkultus · klutus · kulltus · kultsu · kulttus · kultuss · kuluts · kutlus

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "Klaus" and "Kultus" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([klaʊ̯s] versus [ˈkʊltʊs]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "Klaus" vs "Kultus" - which ranks higher?
"Klaus" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,775 in our German list, against #42,640 for "Kultus". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

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 "Klaus" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Kultus" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,386,903 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Klaus" and "Kultus" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Kubus vs Kultus". 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 #1,386,903 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