Which to use
“Lacke” is a noun and “laufe” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #45,413
- “Lacke” frequency rank
- #1,851
- “laufe” frequency rank
- 47264
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Lacke | laufe |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | kleine Flüssigkeitsansammlung; Ansammlung von Regenwasser, Pfütze, kleines Gewässer | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs laufen |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Lacke and laufe apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Lacke is [ˈlakə] while laufe is [ˈlaʊ̯fə]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 47264, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Lacke is recorded at frequency rank #45,413, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈlakə]. laufe is at rank #1,851, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈlaʊ̯fə].
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 47264, this pair ranks #1,290,458 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Lacke vs laufe
Shared letters: ael. Private to "Lacke": ck. Private to "laufe": fu.
"Lacke" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV · "laufe" · 5 letters · shape CVVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Lacke" and "laufe" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "Lacke" or "laufe"?
Remembering Lacke vs laufe
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “Lacke”; for a verb, it's “laufe”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “Lacke” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable