klugvsklugesConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#5,727
“klug” frequency rank
#40,035
“kluges” frequency rank
45762
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature klug kluges
Definition mit scharfem Verstand und logischem Denkvermögen ausgestattet; mit gut entwickelter Denkfähigkeit Nominativ Singular Neutrum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs klug

Where the eye mixes klug and kluges

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.

4 ch
klug
6 ch
kluges

Visual trap between klug and kluges

A purely visual mix-up. klug ([kluːk]) and kluges ([ˈkluːɡəs]) 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 2 extra letter(s) - “klug” sits inside “kluges”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 45762, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

klug is recorded at frequency rank #5,727, classified as anadj, pronounced [kluːk]. kluges is at rank #40,035, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈkluːɡəs].

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 45762, this pair ranks #1,342,065 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of klug vs kluges

Shared letters: gklu. Private to "klug": -. Private to "kluges": es.

"klug" · 4 letters · shape CCVC  ·  "kluges" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • klugkklug · klgu · kllug · klugg · kulg · lkug
  • klugeskkluges · klgues · klluges · kluegs · klugess · klugges · klugse · kulges

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "klug" and "kluges" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([kluːk] versus [ˈkluːɡəs]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "klug" or "kluges"?
"klug" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,727 in our German list, against #40,035 for "kluges". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

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

  • Full dictionary entry for "klug" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "kluges" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,342,065 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "klug" and "kluges" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Klägers vs kluges". 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 #1,342,065 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