Which to use
“Lai” and “Last” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #47,552
- “Lai” frequency rank
- #2,904
- “Last” frequency rank
- 50456
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Lai | Last |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | reines Instrumentalstück der mittelalterlichen französischen Musik | etwas, was sich durch sein Gewicht nach unten drückt oder zieht; auch Ladung, Fracht; was man trägt |
Where the eye mixes Lai and Last
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence. Lai runs 3 letters (CVV) against Last's 4 (CVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses Lai with Last
A purely visual mix-up. Lai ([lɛː]) and Last ([last]) 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 50456, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Lai is recorded at frequency rank #47,552, classified as anoun, pronounced [lɛː]. Last is at rank #2,904, tagged as anoun, pronounced [last].
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 50456, this pair ranks #1,173,014 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Lai vs Last
Shared letters: al. Private to "Lai": i. Private to "Last": st.
"Lai" · 3 letters · shape CVV · "Last" · 4 letters · shape CVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- Last ← alst · lasst · lastt · lats · llast · lsat
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Lai" and "Last" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "Lai" or "Last"?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "Lai" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Last" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,173,014 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Lai" and "Last" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Lai vs lame". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #1,173,014 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.