latentvslauenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#32,645
“latent” frequency rank
#42,647
“lauen” frequency rank
75292
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature latent lauen
Definition vorhanden, aber noch nicht erkennbar, versteckt, verborgen, nicht offenkundig Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Adjektivs lau

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set latent and lauen apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
latent
5 ch
lauen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. latent ([laˈtɛnt]) and lauen ([ˈlaʊ̯ən]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 75292, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

latent is recorded at frequency rank #32,645, classified as anadj, pronounced [laˈtɛnt]. lauen is at rank #42,647, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈlaʊ̯ən].

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 75292, this pair ranks #311,649 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of latent vs lauen

Shared letters: aeln. Private to "latent": t. Private to "lauen": u.

"latent" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCC  ·  "lauen" · 5 letters · shape CVVVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • latentaltent · laetnt · latennt · latentt · latetn · latnet · lattent · llatent
  • lauenaluen · laeun · llauen · luaen

Frequency comparison

latent#32,645
lauen#42,647

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "latent" and "lauen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([laˈtɛnt] versus [ˈlaʊ̯ən]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "latent" or "lauen"?
"latent" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #32,645 in our German list, against #42,647 for "lauen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering latent vs lauen

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 “latent” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list