LäufervsLauneWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“Läufer” and “Laune” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#7,641
“Läufer” frequency rank
#4,136
“Laune” frequency rank
11777
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Läufer Laune
Definition Person, die an einem Wettlauf teilnimmt, die sich laufend vorwärtsbewegt Gemütszustand; wie sich jemand fühlt oder worauf jemand gerade Lust hat

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Läufer and Laune apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
Läufer
5 ch
Laune

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Läufer ([ˈlɔɪ̯fɐ]) and Laune ([ˈlaʊ̯nə]) 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 11777, 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]. Laune is at rank #4,136, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈlaʊ̯nə].

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 11777, this pair ranks #1,967,959 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Läufer vs Laune

Shared letters: elu. Private to "Läufer": frä. Private to "Laune": an.

"Läufer" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC  ·  "Laune" · 5 letters · shape CVVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Launealune · lanue · launne · llaune · luane

Frequency comparison

Läufer#7,641
Laune#4,136

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Läufer" and "Laune" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈlɔɪ̯fɐ] versus [ˈlaʊ̯nə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Läufer" or "Laune"?
"Laune" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,136 in our German list, against #7,641 for "Läufer". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Läufer vs Laune

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 “Läufer” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list