lag vs loh, What's the Difference?

Which to use

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

#906
“lag” frequency rank: #44,776
“loh” frequency rank: 45682
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	lag	loh
Definition	1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs liegen	2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs lohen

Where the spellings diverge

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

3 ch

lag

3 ch

loh

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. lag ([laːk]) and loh ([loː]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 45682, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

lag is recorded at frequency rank #906, classified as averb, pronounced [laːk]. loh is at rank #44,776, tagged as averb, pronounced [loː].

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 45682, this pair ranks #1,344,724 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of lag vs loh

Shared letters: l. Private to "lag": ag. Private to "loh": ho.

"lag" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "loh" · 3 letters · shape CVC

Frequency comparison

lag#906

loh#44,776

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "lag" and "loh" be used interchangeably?

No. They are said differently ([laːk] versus [loː]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.

Which is more common, "lag" or "loh"?

"lag" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #906 in our German list, against #44,776 for "loh". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering lag vs loh

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “lag” entry
Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable