labernvsLakenWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: labern is a verb, Laken is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“labern” is a verb and “Laken” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#21,674
“labern” frequency rank
#35,291
“Laken” frequency rank
56965
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature labern Laken
Definition ohne Substanz und/oder unnötig lange, gewunden und umständlich, wortreich reden oder monologisieren großes Tuch, mit dem eine Matratze abgedeckt wird

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set labern and Laken apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
labern
5 ch
Laken

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: labern is [ˈlaːbɐn] while Laken is [ˈlaːkn̩]. 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 (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 56965, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

labern is recorded at frequency rank #21,674, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈlaːbɐn]. Laken is at rank #35,291, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈlaːkn̩].

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 56965, this pair ranks #919,840 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of labern vs Laken

Shared letters: aeln. Private to "labern": br. Private to "Laken": k.

"labern" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCC  ·  "Laken" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • labernlabbern · labenr · labernn · laberrn · labren · laebrn · lbaern · llabern
  • Lakenalken · laekn · lakenn · lakken · lakne · lkaen · llaken

Frequency comparison

labern#21,674
Laken#35,291

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "labern" and "Laken" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "labern" is a verb and "Laken" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "labern" or "Laken"?
"labern" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #21,674 in our German list, against #35,291 for "Laken". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering labern vs Laken

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “labern”; for a noun, it's “Laken”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “labern” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list