lädstvsläufstTell them apart

Which to use

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

#46,821
“lädst” frequency rank
#25,224
“läufst” frequency rank
72045
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature lädst läufst
Definition 2. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs laden 2. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs laufen

Where the eye mixes lädst and läufst

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. lädst runs 5 letters (CVCCC) against läufst's 6 (CVVCCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

5 ch
lädst
6 ch
läufst

Why the eye confuses lädst with läufst

A purely visual mix-up. lädst ([lɛːt͡st]) and läufst ([lɔɪ̯fst]) 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 72045, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

lädst is recorded at frequency rank #46,821, classified as averb, pronounced [lɛːt͡st]. läufst is at rank #25,224, tagged as averb, pronounced [lɔɪ̯fst].

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 72045, this pair ranks #399,413 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of lädst vs läufst

Shared letters: lstä. Private to "lädst": d. Private to "läufst": fu.

"lädst" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC  ·  "läufst" · 6 letters · shape CVVCCC

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "lädst" for "läufst" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([lɛːt͡st] versus [lɔɪ̯fst]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "lädst" vs "läufst" - which ranks higher?
"läufst" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #25,224 in our German list, against #46,821 for "lädst". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Eye-level mix-up between "lädst" and "läufst" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "lädst" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "läufst" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #399,413 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "lädst" and "läufst" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "lädst vs lähmt". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #399,413 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list