Which to use
“langem” is an adjective and “Lanze” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #4,284
- “langem” frequency rank
- #22,413
- “Lanze” frequency rank
- 26697
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | langem | Lanze |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Dativ Singular Maskulinum Positiv der starken Flexion des Adjektivs lang | Waffe für den Nahkampf (als Stoßwaffe), aber auch im Fernkampf (als Wurfwaffe) wie ein Speer einsetzbar; lange Stange (mehrere Meter) mit einer Spitze aus besonders hartem Material |
Where the eye mixes langem and Lanze
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses langem with Lanze
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: langem is [ˈlaŋəm] while Lanze is [ˈlant͡sə]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 26697, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
langem is recorded at frequency rank #4,284, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈlaŋəm]. Lanze is at rank #22,413, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈlant͡sə].
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 26697, this pair ranks #1,813,894 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of langem vs Lanze
Shared letters: aeln. Private to "langem": gm. Private to "Lanze": z.
"langem" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "Lanze" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "langem" and "Lanze" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "langem" or "Lanze" show up more?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "langem" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Lanze" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,813,894 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "langem" and "Lanze" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "lame vs Lanze". 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 #1,813,894 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.