Which to use
“Läufer” and “Läufern” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #7,641
- “Läufer” frequency rank
- #47,574
- “Läufern” frequency rank
- 55215
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Läufer | Läufern |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Person, die an einem Wettlauf teilnimmt, die sich laufend vorwärtsbewegt | Dativ Plural des Substantivs Läufer |
Where the eye mixes Läufer and Läufern
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. Läufer runs 6 letters (CVVCVC) against Läufern's 7 (CVVCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between Läufer and Läufern
A purely visual mix-up. Läufer ([ˈlɔɪ̯fɐ]) and Läufern ([ˈlɔɪ̯fɐn]) 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 extra letter(s) - “Läufer” sits inside “Läufern”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 55215, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Läufer is recorded at frequency rank #7,641, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈlɔɪ̯fɐ]. Läufern is at rank #47,574, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈlɔɪ̯fɐn].
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 55215, this pair ranks #988,244 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Läufer vs Läufern
Shared letters: eflruä. Private to "Läufer": -. Private to "Läufern": n.
"Läufer" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC · "Läufern" · 7 letters · shape CVVCVCC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Läufer" and "Läufern" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "Läufer" or "Läufern" show up more?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "Läufer" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Läufern" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #988,244 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Läufer" and "Läufern" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Lasern vs Läufern". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #988,244 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.