Which to use
“lag” and “las” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #906
- “lag” frequency rank
- #3,265
- “las” frequency rank
- 4171
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | lag | las |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs liegen | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs lesen |
Where the eye mixes lag and las
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses lag with las
A purely visual mix-up. lag ([laːk]) and las ([laːs]) 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 - g in “lag” becomes s in “las”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 4171, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
lag is recorded at frequency rank #906, classified as averb, pronounced [laːk]. las is at rank #3,265, tagged as averb, pronounced [laːs].
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 4171, this pair ranks #1,998,395 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of lag vs las
Shared letters: al. Private to "lag": g. Private to "las": s.
"lag" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "las" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "lag" and "las" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "lag" or "las"?
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 "lag" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "las" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,998,395 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "lag" and "las" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "lame vs las". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,998,395 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.