Which to use
“Läufer” and “Laufwerk” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #7,641
- “Läufer” frequency rank
- #32,147
- “Laufwerk” frequency rank
- 39788
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Läufer | Laufwerk |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Person, die an einem Wettlauf teilnimmt, die sich laufend vorwärtsbewegt | Speichergerät eines Computers mit Lese-/Schreibzugriff |
Where the eye mixes Läufer and Laufwerk
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. Läufer runs 6 letters (CVVCVC) against Laufwerk's 8 (CVVCCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: Läufer vs Laufwerk
A purely visual mix-up. Läufer ([ˈlɔɪ̯fɐ]) and Laufwerk ([ˈlaʊ̯fˌvɛʁk]) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 39788, 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]. Laufwerk is at rank #32,147, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈlaʊ̯fˌvɛʁk].
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 39788, this pair ranks #1,526,888 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Läufer vs Laufwerk
Shared letters: eflru. Private to "Läufer": ä. Private to "Laufwerk": akw.
"Läufer" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC · "Laufwerk" · 8 letters · shape CVVCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- Laufwerk ← alufwerk · lafuwerk · laufewrk · lauffwerk · laufwekr · laufwerkk · laufwerrk · laufwrek
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Läufer" and "Laufwerk" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "Läufer" or "Laufwerk" show up more?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "Läufer" and "Laufwerk" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "Läufer" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Laufwerk" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,526,888 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Läufer" and "Laufwerk" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Läufern vs Laufwerk". 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 #1,526,888 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.