Which to use
“Ländern” and “Läufern” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,063
- “Ländern” frequency rank
- #47,574
- “Läufern” frequency rank
- 48637
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Ländern | Läufern |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Dativ Plural des Substantivs Land | Dativ Plural des Substantivs Läufer |
Where the eye mixes Ländern and Läufern
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. Ländern (CVCCVCC) and Läufern (CVVCVCC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Visual trap between Ländern and Läufern
A purely visual mix-up. Ländern ([ˈlɛndɐn]) and Läufern ([ˈlɔɪ̯fɐn]) 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 48637, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Ländern is recorded at frequency rank #1,063, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈlɛndɐn]. Läufern is at rank #47,574, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈlɔɪ̯fɐn].
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 48637, this pair ranks #1,241,203 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Ländern vs Läufern
Shared letters: elnrä. Private to "Ländern": d. Private to "Läufern": fu.
"Ländern" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC · "Läufern" · 7 letters · shape CVVCVCC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Ländern" for "Läufern" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "Ländern" or "Läufern" show up more?
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 "Ländern" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Läufern" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,241,203 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Ländern" and "Läufern" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Lasern vs Läufern". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,241,203 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.