Which to use
“Lämmer” and “Läufer” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #33,176
- “Lämmer” frequency rank
- #7,641
- “Läufer” frequency rank
- 40817
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Lämmer | Läufer |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Lamm | Person, die an einem Wettlauf teilnimmt, die sich laufend vorwärtsbewegt |
Where the eye mixes Lämmer and Läufer
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. Lämmer (CVCCVC) and Läufer (CVVCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Visual trap between Lämmer and Läufer
A purely visual mix-up. Lämmer ([ˈlɛmɐ]) and Läufer ([ˈlɔɪ̯fɐ]) 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 40817, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Lämmer is recorded at frequency rank #33,176, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈlɛmɐ]. Läufer is at rank #7,641, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈlɔɪ̯fɐ].
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 40817, this pair ranks #1,497,421 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Lämmer vs Läufer
Shared letters: elrä. Private to "Lämmer": m. Private to "Läufer": fu.
"Lämmer" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "Läufer" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Lämmer" for "Läufer" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "Lämmer" or "Läufer" show up more?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "Lämmer" and "Läufer" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "Lämmer" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Läufer" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,497,421 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Lämmer" and "Läufer" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "lame vs Lämmer". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,497,421 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.