Which to use
“Schau” and “Stau” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #976
- “Schau” frequency rank
- #7,819
- “Stau” frequency rank
- 8795
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Schau | Stau |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | thematisch organisierte öffentliche Ausstellung | durch eine Behinderung oder ein Hindernis verursachte Störung des Durchflusses oder Durchgangs; Nomen acti: Ergebnis des Stauens |
Where the eye mixes Schau and Stau
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. Schau runs 5 letters (CCCVV) against Stau's 4 (CCVV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses Schau with Stau
A purely visual mix-up. Schau ([ʃaʊ̯]) and Stau ([ʃtaʊ̯]) 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 8795, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Schau is recorded at frequency rank #976, classified as anoun, pronounced [ʃaʊ̯]. Stau is at rank #7,819, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ʃtaʊ̯].
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 8795, this pair ranks #1,982,796 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Schau vs Stau
Shared letters: asu. Private to "Schau": ch. Private to "Stau": t.
"Schau" · 5 letters · shape CCCVV · "Stau" · 4 letters · shape CCVV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Schau" and "Stau" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "Schau" vs "Stau" - which ranks higher?
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 "Schau" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Stau" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,982,796 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Schau" and "Stau" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "sai vs Stau". 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 #1,982,796 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.