Which to use
“Lauf” and “Läuse” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,737
- “Lauf” frequency rank
- #43,335
- “Läuse” frequency rank
- 45072
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Lauf | Läuse |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | schnelle Fortbewegung zu Fuß, bei der kurzzeitig kein Bodenkontakt besteht | Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Laus |
Where the eye mixes Lauf and Läuse
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses Lauf with Läuse
A purely visual mix-up. Lauf ([laʊ̯f]) 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 differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 45072, 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]. 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 45072, this pair ranks #1,365,440 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Lauf vs Läuse
Shared letters: lu. Private to "Lauf": af. Private to "Läuse": esä.
"Lauf" · 4 letters · shape CVVC · "Läuse" · 5 letters · shape CVVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- Lauf ← aluf · lafu · lauff · llauf · luaf
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Lauf" for "Läuse" ever safe?
Frequency check: "Lauf" vs "Läuse" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
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 "Läuse" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,365,440 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Lauf" and "Läuse" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "lame vs Läuse". 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 #1,365,440 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.