Which to use
“lag” is a verb and “le” is a determiner - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #906
- “lag” frequency rank
- #1,852
- “le” frequency rank
- 2758
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | lag | le |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs liegen | der, die, das |
Where the eye mixes lag and le
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Why the eye confuses lag with le
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: lag is [laːk] while le is [lə]. 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 determiner), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 2758, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
lag is recorded at frequency rank #906, classified as averb, pronounced [laːk]. le is at rank #1,852, tagged as adet, pronounced [lə].
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 2758, this pair ranks #2,001,651 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of lag vs le
Shared letters: l. Private to "lag": ag. Private to "le": e.
"lag" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "le" · 2 letters · shape CV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "lag" for "le" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "lag" or "le" show up more?
What to do next
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 "le" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #2,001,651 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "lag" and "le" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "lame vs le". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #2,001,651 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.