Which to use
“lag” is a verb and “Los” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #906
- “lag” frequency rank
- #469
- “Los” frequency rank
- 1375
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | lag | Los |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs liegen | Schicksal, unbeeinflussbares Geschick |
Where the eye mixes lag and Los
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Why the eye confuses lag with Los
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: lag is [laːk] while Los is [loːs]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 1375, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
lag is recorded at frequency rank #906, classified as averb, pronounced [laːk]. Los is at rank #469, tagged as anoun, pronounced [loːs].
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 1375, this pair ranks #2,004,460 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of lag vs Los
Shared letters: l. Private to "lag": ag. Private to "Los": os.
"lag" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "Los" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "lag" and "Los" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "lag" vs "Los" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
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 "Los" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #2,004,460 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "lag" and "Los" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "lag vs lame". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #2,004,460 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.