LackevsLückeWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#45,413
“Lacke” frequency rank
#6,083
“Lücke” frequency rank
51496
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Lacke Lücke
Definition kleine Flüssigkeitsansammlung; Ansammlung von Regenwasser, Pfütze, kleines Gewässer Stelle, an der etwas fehlt, das dort sein sollte oder dort hin kann

Where the spellings diverge

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

5 ch
Lacke
5 ch
Lücke

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Lacke ([ˈlakə]) and Lücke ([ˈlʏkə]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by a single letter - a in “Lacke” becomes ü in “Lücke”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 51496, 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]. Lücke is at rank #6,083, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈlʏkə].

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 51496, this pair ranks #1,133,322 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Lacke vs Lücke

Shared letters: cekl. Private to "Lacke": a. Private to "Lücke": ü.

"Lacke" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV  ·  "Lücke" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

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

Frequency comparison

Lacke#45,413
Lücke#6,083

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Lacke" and "Lücke" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈlakə] versus [ˈlʏkə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Lacke" or "Lücke"?
"Lücke" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #6,083 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 Lücke

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