Which to use
“lau” is an adjective and “läuft” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #16,210
- “lau” frequency rank
- #585
- “läuft” frequency rank
- 16795
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | lau | läuft |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | von einer mittleren Temperatur zwischen kühl und warm | 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs laufen |
Where the eye mixes lau and läuft
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: lau is [laʊ̯] while läuft is [lɔɪ̯ft]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 16795, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
lau is recorded at frequency rank #16,210, classified as anadj, pronounced [laʊ̯]. läuft is at rank #585, tagged as averb, pronounced [lɔɪ̯ft].
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 16795, this pair ranks #1,932,927 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of lau vs läuft
Shared letters: lu. Private to "lau": a. Private to "läuft": ftä.
"lau" · 3 letters · shape CVV · "läuft" · 5 letters · shape CVVCC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "lau" and "läuft" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "lau" or "läuft"?
What to do next
You've compared "lau" and "läuft". Here's where to go from here.
- Full dictionary entry for "lau" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "läuft" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,932,927 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "lau" and "läuft" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "lame vs lau". Nearby pair
PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.