lacvslädtConfusable pair

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

Which to use

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

#37,041
“lac” frequency rank
#3,980
“lädt” frequency rank
41021
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature lac lädt
Definition See 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs laden

Where the eye mixes lac and lädt

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

3 ch
lac
4 ch
lädt

Visual trap between lac and lädt

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: lac is [lak] while lädt is [lɛːt]. 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 verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 41021, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

lac is recorded at frequency rank #37,041, classified as anoun, pronounced [lak]. lädt is at rank #3,980, tagged as averb, pronounced [lɛːt].

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 41021, this pair ranks #1,491,571 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of lac vs lädt

Shared letters: l. Private to "lac": ac. Private to "lädt": dtä.

"lac" · 3 letters · shape CVC  ·  "lädt" · 4 letters · shape CVCC

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "lac" for "lädt" ever safe?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "lac" is a noun and "lädt" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
In ordinary German text, does "lac" or "lädt" show up more?
"lädt" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,980 in our German list, against #37,041 for "lac". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "lac" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "lädt" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,491,571 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "lac" and "lädt" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "lac vs lame". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #1,491,571 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