lachvsladeWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#13,884
“lach” frequency rank
#9,399
“lade” frequency rank
23283
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature lach lade
Definition 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs lachen 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs laden

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set lach and lade apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
lach
4 ch
lade

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. lach ([lax]) and lade ([ˈlaːdə]) 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 23283, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

lach is recorded at frequency rank #13,884, classified as averb, pronounced [lax]. lade is at rank #9,399, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈlaːdə].

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 23283, this pair ranks #1,863,296 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of lach vs lade

Shared letters: al. Private to "lach": ch. Private to "lade": de.

"lach" · 4 letters · shape CVCC  ·  "lade" · 4 letters · shape CVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • lachalch · lacch · lachh · lahc · lcah · llach
  • ladealde · ladde · laed · ldae · llade

Frequency comparison

lach#13,884
lade#9,399

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "lach" and "lade" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([lax] versus [ˈlaːdə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "lach" or "lade"?
"lade" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #9,399 in our German list, against #13,884 for "lach". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering lach vs lade

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “lach” 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