Which to use
“laufen” and “läuten” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #765
- “laufen” frequency rank
- #21,685
- “läuten” frequency rank
- 22450
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | laufen | läuten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | sich auf den Beinen oder Gliedmaßen fortbewegen; regional verschieden hat dieses Verb die Grundbedeutung „schnell gehen“ oder mit „mäßiger Geschwindigkeit gehen“, aber es wird überregional für mäßiges (bzw. langsames) Gehen in dem Ausdruck „das Kind läuft schon“ benutzt und wird in entsprechendem Kontext auch in solchen Regionen als mäßiges Gehen verstanden, wo üblicherweise „gehen“ statt „laufen“ benutzt wird (z.B. „nach Hause laufen“, süddeutsch und österreichisch „nach Hause gehen“) | Geräusche durch das Bewegen einer Glocke hervorrufen |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set laufen and läuten apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. laufen ([ˈlaʊ̯fn̩]) and läuten ([ˈlɔɪ̯tn̩]) 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 22450, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
laufen is recorded at frequency rank #765, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈlaʊ̯fn̩]. läuten is at rank #21,685, tagged as averb, 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 22450, this pair ranks #1,874,016 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of laufen vs läuten
Shared letters: elnu. Private to "laufen": af. Private to "läuten": tä.
"laufen" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC · "läuten" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- laufen ← alufen · lafuen · lauefn · laufenn · lauffen · laufne · llaufen · luafen
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "laufen" and "läuten" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "laufen" or "läuten"?
Remembering laufen vs läuten
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “laufen” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable