Which to use
“lad” is a verb and “lax” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #24,418
- “lad” frequency rank
- #43,323
- “lax” frequency rank
- 67741
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | lad | lax |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs laden | nicht streng (in der Auslegung von Regeln) |
Where the eye mixes lad and lax
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence. lad and lax follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Look-alike desk: lad vs lax
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: lad is [laːt] while lax is [laks]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - d in “lad” becomes x in “lax”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 67741, 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]. lax is at rank #43,323, tagged as anadj, pronounced [laks].
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 67741, this pair ranks #530,189 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of lad vs lax
Shared letters: al. Private to "lad": d. Private to "lax": x.
"lad" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "lax" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "lad" and "lax" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "lad" or "lax"?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "lad" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "lax" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #530,189 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "lad" and "lax" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "lame vs lax". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #530,189 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.