Which to use
“Lauer” and “Laute” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #19,632
- “Lauer” frequency rank
- #6,948
- “Laute” frequency rank
- 26580
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Lauer | Laute |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Hinterhalt | Saiteninstrument mit birnenförmigem Korpus und angesetztem Hals |
Where the eye mixes Lauer and Laute
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses Lauer with Laute
A purely visual mix-up. Lauer ([ˈlaʊ̯ɐ]) and Laute ([ˈlaʊ̯tə]) 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 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 26580, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Lauer is recorded at frequency rank #19,632, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈlaʊ̯ɐ]. Laute is at rank #6,948, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈlaʊ̯tə].
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 26580, this pair ranks #1,815,849 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Lauer vs Laute
Shared letters: aelu. Private to "Lauer": r. Private to "Laute": t.
"Lauer" · 5 letters · shape CVVVC · "Laute" · 5 letters · shape CVVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Lauer" and "Laute" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "Lauer" or "Laute"?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "Lauer" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Laute" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,815,849 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Lauer" and "Laute" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Lasern vs Lauer". 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 #1,815,849 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.