lauenvsLeutenWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: lauen is a adjective, Leuten is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“lauen” is an adjective and “Leuten” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#42,647
“lauen” frequency rank
#1,114
“Leuten” frequency rank
43761
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature lauen Leuten
Definition Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Adjektivs lau Dativ Plural des Substantivs Leute

Where the spellings diverge

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

5 ch
lauen
6 ch
Leuten

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: lauen is [ˈlaʊ̯ən] while Leuten is [ˈlɔɪ̯tn̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 43761, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

lauen is recorded at frequency rank #42,647, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈlaʊ̯ən]. Leuten is at rank #1,114, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈlɔɪ̯tn̩].

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 43761, this pair ranks #1,407,792 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of lauen vs Leuten

Shared letters: elnu. Private to "lauen": a. Private to "Leuten": t.

"lauen" · 5 letters · shape CVVVC  ·  "Leuten" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • lauenaluen · laeun · llauen · luaen
  • Leuteneluten · letuen · leuetn · leutenn · leutne · leutten · lleuten · lueten

Frequency comparison

lauen#42,647
Leuten#1,114

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "lauen" and "Leuten" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "lauen" is an adjective and "Leuten" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "lauen" or "Leuten"?
"Leuten" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,114 in our German list, against #42,647 for "lauen". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering lauen vs Leuten

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “lauen”; for a noun, it's “Leuten”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “lauen” 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