Which to use
“längst” is an adverb and “läufst” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #1,520
- “längst” frequency rank
- #25,224
- “läufst” frequency rank
- 26744
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | längst | läufst |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | schon lange, seit langem, seit langer/längerer Zeit | 2. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs laufen |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set längst and läufst apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: längst is [lɛŋst] while läufst is [lɔɪ̯fst]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (adverb vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 26744, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
längst is recorded at frequency rank #1,520, classified as anadv, pronounced [lɛŋst]. läufst is at rank #25,224, tagged as averb, pronounced [lɔɪ̯fst].
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 26744, this pair ranks #1,813,127 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of längst vs läufst
Shared letters: lstä. Private to "längst": gn. Private to "läufst": fu.
"längst" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCC · "läufst" · 6 letters · shape CVVCCC
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "längst" and "läufst" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "längst" or "läufst"?
Remembering längst vs läufst
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adverb, it's “längst”; for a verb, it's “läufst”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “längst” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable