LauchvsLäuseWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#23,209
“Lauch” frequency rank
#43,335
“Läuse” frequency rank
66544
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Lauch Läuse
Definition Gemüsesorte aus der Gattung Allium in der Familie der Lauchgewächse (Alliaceae) Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Laus

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Lauch and Läuse apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
Lauch
5 ch
Läuse

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Lauch ([laʊ̯x]) 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 66544, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Lauch is recorded at frequency rank #23,209, classified as anoun, pronounced [laʊ̯x]. 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 66544, this pair ranks #569,653 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Lauch vs Läuse

Shared letters: lu. Private to "Lauch": ach. Private to "Läuse": esä.

"Lauch" · 5 letters · shape CVVCC  ·  "Läuse" · 5 letters · shape CVVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Lauchaluch · lacuh · laucch · lauchh · lauhc · llauch · luach

Frequency comparison

Lauch#23,209
Läuse#43,335

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Lauch" and "Läuse" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([laʊ̯x] versus [ˈlɔɪ̯zə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Lauch" or "Läuse"?
"Lauch" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #23,209 in our German list, against #43,335 for "Läuse". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Lauch vs Läuse

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 “Lauch” 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