Which to use
“Last” and “Lauf” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,904
- “Last” frequency rank
- #1,737
- “Lauf” frequency rank
- 4641
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Last | Lauf |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | etwas, was sich durch sein Gewicht nach unten drückt oder zieht; auch Ladung, Fracht; was man trägt | schnelle Fortbewegung zu Fuß, bei der kurzzeitig kein Bodenkontakt besteht |
Where the eye mixes Last and Lauf
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses Last with Lauf
A purely visual mix-up. Last ([last]) and Lauf ([laʊ̯f]) 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 4641, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Last is recorded at frequency rank #2,904, classified as anoun, pronounced [last]. Lauf is at rank #1,737, tagged as anoun, pronounced [laʊ̯f].
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 4641, this pair ranks #1,997,128 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Last vs Lauf
Shared letters: al. Private to "Last": st. Private to "Lauf": fu.
"Last" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "Lauf" · 4 letters · shape CVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "Last" and "Lauf" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "Last" or "Lauf"?
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 "Last" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Lauf" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,997,128 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Last" and "Lauf" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "lähmt vs Last". 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 #1,997,128 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.