Which to use
“Lauf” and “Laune” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,737
- “Lauf” frequency rank
- #4,136
- “Laune” frequency rank
- 5873
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Lauf | Laune |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | schnelle Fortbewegung zu Fuß, bei der kurzzeitig kein Bodenkontakt besteht | Gemütszustand; wie sich jemand fühlt oder worauf jemand gerade Lust hat |
Where the eye mixes Lauf and Laune
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses Lauf with Laune
A purely visual mix-up. Lauf ([laʊ̯f]) and Laune ([ˈlaʊ̯nə]) 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 5873, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Lauf is recorded at frequency rank #1,737, classified as anoun, pronounced [laʊ̯f]. Laune is at rank #4,136, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈlaʊ̯nə].
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 5873, this pair ranks #1,993,434 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Lauf vs Laune
Shared letters: alu. Private to "Lauf": f. Private to "Laune": en.
"Lauf" · 4 letters · shape CVVC · "Laune" · 5 letters · shape CVVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Lauf" for "Laune" ever safe?
Which is more common, "Lauf" or "Laune"?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "Lauf" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Laune" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,993,434 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Lauf" and "Laune" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "lame vs Laune". 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 #1,993,434 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.