lädtvsLaiWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: lädt is a verb, Lai is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“lädt” is a verb and “Lai” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#3,980
“lädt” frequency rank
#47,552
“Lai” frequency rank
51532
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature lädt Lai
Definition 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs laden reines Instrumentalstück der mittelalterlichen französischen Musik

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set lädt and Lai apart are highlighted. They share 1 letter in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
lädt
3 ch
Lai

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: lädt is [lɛːt] while Lai is [lɛː]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 51532, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

lädt is recorded at frequency rank #3,980, classified as averb, pronounced [lɛːt]. Lai is at rank #47,552, tagged as anoun, pronounced [lɛː].

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 51532, this pair ranks #1,131,911 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of lädt vs Lai

Shared letters: l. Private to "lädt": dtä. Private to "Lai": ai.

"lädt" · 4 letters · shape CVCC  ·  "Lai" · 3 letters · shape CVV

Frequency comparison

lädt#3,980
Lai#47,552

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "lädt" and "Lai" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "lädt" is a verb and "Lai" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "lädt" or "Lai"?
"lädt" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,980 in our German list, against #47,552 for "Lai". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering lädt vs Lai

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “lädt”; for a noun, it's “Lai”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “lädt” 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