Which to use
“Lanze” and “Läuse” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #22,413
- “Lanze” frequency rank
- #43,335
- “Läuse” frequency rank
- 65748
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Lanze | Läuse |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 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 | Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Laus |
Where the eye mixes Lanze and Läuse
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses Lanze with Läuse
A purely visual mix-up. Lanze ([ˈlant͡sə]) and Läuse ([ˈlɔɪ̯zə]) 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 65748, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Lanze is recorded at frequency rank #22,413, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈlant͡sə]. Läuse is at rank #43,335, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈlɔɪ̯zə].
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 65748, this pair ranks #596,367 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Lanze vs Läuse
Shared letters: el. Private to "Lanze": anz. Private to "Läuse": suä.
"Lanze" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV · "Läuse" · 5 letters · shape CVVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- Lanze ← alnze · lanez · lannze · lanzze · lazne · llanze · lnaze
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Lanze" for "Läuse" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "Lanze" or "Läuse" 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 "Lanze" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Läuse" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #596,367 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Lanze" and "Läuse" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "lame vs Läuse". 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 #596,367 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.