LackevsLäuseWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#45,413
“Lacke” frequency rank
#43,335
“Läuse” frequency rank
88748
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Lacke Läuse
Definition kleine Flüssigkeitsansammlung; Ansammlung von Regenwasser, Pfütze, kleines Gewässer Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Laus

Where the spellings diverge

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

5 ch
Lacke
5 ch
Läuse

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Lacke ([ˈlakə]) and Läuse ([ˈlɔɪ̯zə]) 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 3 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 88748, 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]. Läuse is at rank #43,335, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈlɔɪ̯zə].

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 88748, this pair ranks #64,878 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of Lacke vs Läuse

Shared letters: el. Private to "Lacke": ack. Private to "Läuse": suä.

"Lacke" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV  ·  "Läuse" · 5 letters · shape CVVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Lackealcke · laccke · lacek · lackke · lakce · lcake · llacke

Frequency comparison

Lacke#45,413
Läuse#43,335

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Lacke" and "Läuse" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈlakə] versus [ˈlɔɪ̯zə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Lacke" or "Läuse"?
"Läuse" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #43,335 in our German list, against #45,413 for "Lacke". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Lacke vs Läuse

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 “Lacke” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list