Which to use
“Lauf” and “Laut” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,737
- “Lauf” frequency rank
- #505
- “Laut” frequency rank
- 2242
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Lauf | Laut |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | schnelle Fortbewegung zu Fuß, bei der kurzzeitig kein Bodenkontakt besteht | ein Geräusch |
Where the eye mixes Lauf and Laut
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between Lauf and Laut
A purely visual mix-up. Lauf ([laʊ̯f]) and Laut ([laʊ̯t]) 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 a single letter - f in “Lauf” becomes t in “Laut”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 2242, 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]. Laut is at rank #505, tagged as anoun, pronounced [laʊ̯t].
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 2242, this pair ranks #2,002,789 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Lauf vs Laut
Shared letters: alu. Private to "Lauf": f. Private to "Laut": t.
"Lauf" · 4 letters · shape CVVC · "Laut" · 4 letters · shape CVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Lauf" and "Laut" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "Lauf" vs "Laut" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "Lauf" and "Laut" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "Lauf" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Laut" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #2,002,789 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Lauf" and "Laut" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "lame vs Lauf". 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 #2,002,789 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.