langenvsläutenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#1,204
“langen” frequency rank
#21,685
“läuten” frequency rank
22889
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature langen läuten
Definition sich einem Gegenstand entgegen strecken, um ihn zu ergreifen Geräusche durch das Bewegen einer Glocke hervorrufen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set langen and läuten apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
langen
6 ch
läuten

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. langen ([ˈlaŋən]) and läuten ([ˈlɔɪ̯tn̩]) 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 3 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 22889, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

langen is recorded at frequency rank #1,204, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈlaŋən]. läuten is at rank #21,685, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈlɔɪ̯tn̩].

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 22889, this pair ranks #1,868,414 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of langen vs läuten

Shared letters: eln. Private to "langen": ag. Private to "läuten": tuä.

"langen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "läuten" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • langenalngen · lagnen · lanegn · langenn · langgen · langne · lanngen · llangen

Frequency comparison

langen#1,204
läuten#21,685

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "langen" and "läuten" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈlaŋən] versus [ˈlɔɪ̯tn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "langen" or "läuten"?
"langen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,204 in our German list, against #21,685 for "läuten". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering langen vs läuten

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 “langen” 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