lädtvsludTell them apart

Which to use

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

#3,980
“lädt” frequency rank
#10,689
“lud” frequency rank
14669
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature lädt lud
Definition 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs laden 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs laden

Where the eye mixes lädt and lud

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.

4 ch
lädt
3 ch
lud

Visual trap between lädt and lud

A purely visual mix-up. lädt ([lɛːt]) and lud ([luːt]) 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 14669, 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]. lud is at rank #10,689, tagged as averb, pronounced [luːt].

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 14669, this pair ranks #1,949,586 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of lädt vs lud

Shared letters: dl. Private to "lädt": . Private to "lud": u.

"lädt" · 4 letters · shape CVCC  ·  "lud" · 3 letters · shape CVC

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "lädt" for "lud" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([lɛːt] versus [luːt]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
In ordinary German text, does "lädt" or "lud" show up more?
"lädt" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,980 in our German list, against #10,689 for "lud". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "lädt" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "lud" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,949,586 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "lädt" and "lud" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Lai vs lud". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #1,949,586 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