Which to use
“late” and “lax” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #14,348
- “late” frequency rank
- #43,323
- “lax” frequency rank
- 57671
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | late | lax |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | spät | nicht streng (in der Auslegung von Regeln) |
Letter map: late vs lax
Shared letters muted; letters that set late and lax apart highlighted. Shared run: 2.
Corpus notes: late and lax
late and lax are indexed as a confusable German pair. We have no recorded pronunciation or part of speech for both members, so the spelling overlap is what we can show you: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 57671, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
late is recorded at frequency rank #14,348, classified as anadj, pronounced […]. lax is at rank #43,323, tagged as anadj, pronounced [laks].
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 57671, this pair ranks #892,239 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of late vs lax
Shared letters: al. Private to "late": et. Private to "lax": x.
"late" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "lax" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- late ← laet · llate · ltae
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "late" for "lax" ever safe?
Frequency check: "late" vs "lax" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Done with this confusable. These links stay specific to "late" and "lax".
- Full dictionary entry for "late" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "lax" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #892,239 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "late" and "lax" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "lame vs lax". 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 #892,239 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.