KlovsklugWhich spelling fits?

Quick tell: Klo is a noun, klug is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“Klo” is a noun and “klug” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#6,211
“Klo” frequency rank
#5,727
“klug” frequency rank
11938
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Klo klug
Definition Toilette mit scharfem Verstand und logischem Denkvermögen ausgestattet; mit gut entwickelter Denkfähigkeit

Where the eye mixes Klo and klug

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.

3 ch
Klo
4 ch
klug

Why the eye confuses Klo with klug

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Klo is [kloː] while klug is [kluːk]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 11938, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Klo is recorded at frequency rank #6,211, classified as anoun, pronounced [kloː]. klug is at rank #5,727, tagged as anadj, pronounced [kluːk].

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 11938, this pair ranks #1,967,113 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Klo vs klug

Shared letters: kl. Private to "Klo": o. Private to "klug": gu.

"Klo" · 3 letters · shape CCV  ·  "klug" · 4 letters · shape CCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • klugkklug · klgu · kllug · klugg · kulg · lkug

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "Klo" and "klug" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "Klo" is a noun and "klug" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "Klo" or "klug"?
"klug" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,727 in our German list, against #6,211 for "Klo". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

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 "Klo" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "klug" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,967,113 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Klo" and "klug" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Klo 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 #1,967,113 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