LackevsLukeWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#45,413
“Lacke” frequency rank
#9,945
“Luke” frequency rank
55358
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Lacke Luke
Definition kleine Flüssigkeitsansammlung; Ansammlung von Regenwasser, Pfütze, kleines Gewässer eine klappbare Tür; eine verschließbare Öffnung

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Lacke and Luke apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
Lacke
4 ch
Luke

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Lacke ([ˈlakə]) and Luke ([ˈluːkə]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 55358, 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]. Luke is at rank #9,945, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈluːkə].

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 55358, this pair ranks #982,708 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Lacke vs Luke

Shared letters: ekl. Private to "Lacke": ac. Private to "Luke": u.

"Lacke" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV  ·  "Luke" · 4 letters · shape CVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Lackealcke · laccke · lacek · lackke · lakce · lcake · llacke
  • Lukelkue · lluke · luek · lukke · ulke

Frequency comparison

Lacke#45,413
Luke#9,945

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Lacke" and "Luke" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈlakə] versus [ˈluːkə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Lacke" or "Luke"?
"Luke" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #9,945 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 Luke

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