Which to use
“lad” and “lag” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #24,418
- “lad” frequency rank
- #906
- “lag” frequency rank
- 25324
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | lad | lag |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs laden | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs liegen |
Where the eye mixes lad and lag
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses lad with lag
A purely visual mix-up. lad ([laːt]) and lag ([laːk]) 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 - d in “lad” becomes g in “lag”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 25324, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
lad is recorded at frequency rank #24,418, classified as averb, pronounced [laːt]. lag is at rank #906, tagged as averb, pronounced [laːk].
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 25324, this pair ranks #1,834,992 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of lad vs lag
Shared letters: al. Private to "lad": d. Private to "lag": g.
"lad" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "lag" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "lad" and "lag" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "lad" or "lag"?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "lad" and "lag" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "lad" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "lag" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,834,992 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "lad" and "lag" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "lad vs lame". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,834,992 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.