LabvsLeuWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#18,610
“Lab” frequency rank
#42,653
“Leu” frequency rank
61263
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Lab Leu
Definition Enzymgemisch, das aus Kälbermägen gewonnen wird und zur Käseherstellung genutzt wird Löwe

Where the eye mixes Lab and Leu

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.

3 ch
Lab
3 ch
Leu

Why the eye confuses Lab with Leu

A purely visual mix-up. Lab ([laːp]) and Leu ([lɔɪ̯]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 61263, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Lab is recorded at frequency rank #18,610, classified as anoun, pronounced [laːp]. Leu is at rank #42,653, tagged as anoun, pronounced [lɔɪ̯].

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 61263, this pair ranks #756,286 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Lab vs Leu

Shared letters: l. Private to "Lab": ab. Private to "Leu": eu.

"Lab" · 3 letters · shape CVC  ·  "Leu" · 3 letters · shape CVV

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Lab" and "Leu" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([laːp] versus [lɔɪ̯]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Lab" or "Leu"?
"Lab" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #18,610 in our German list, against #42,653 for "Leu". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

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

  • Full dictionary entry for "Lab" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Leu" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #756,286 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Lab" and "Leu" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Lees vs Leu". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #756,286 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