lagovsLaiWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#30,165
“lago” frequency rank
#47,552
“Lai” frequency rank
77717
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature lago Lai
Definition ein stehendes Gewässer, das von Land umgeben ist reines Instrumentalstück der mittelalterlichen französischen Musik

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set lago and Lai apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
lago
3 ch
Lai

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. lago ([ˈlaɡɔ]) and Lai ([lɛː]) 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 77717, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

lago is recorded at frequency rank #30,165, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈlaɡɔ]. Lai is at rank #47,552, tagged as anoun, pronounced [lɛː].

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 77717, this pair ranks #254,541 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of lago vs Lai

Shared letters: al. Private to "lago": go. Private to "Lai": i.

"lago" · 4 letters · shape CVCV  ·  "Lai" · 3 letters · shape CVV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • lagoalgo · laggo · laog · lgao · llago

Frequency comparison

lago#30,165
Lai#47,552

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "lago" and "Lai" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈlaɡɔ] versus [lɛː]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "lago" or "Lai"?
"lago" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #30,165 in our German list, against #47,552 for "Lai". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering lago vs Lai

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 “lago” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list