Which to use
“Läufer” and “Läuse” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #7,641
- “Läufer” frequency rank
- #43,335
- “Läuse” frequency rank
- 50976
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Läufer | Läuse |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Person, die an einem Wettlauf teilnimmt, die sich laufend vorwärtsbewegt | Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Laus |
Where the eye mixes Läufer and Läuse
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. Läufer runs 6 letters (CVVCVC) against Läuse's 5 (CVVCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses Läufer with Läuse
A purely visual mix-up. Läufer ([ˈlɔɪ̯fɐ]) and Läuse ([ˈlɔɪ̯zə]) 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 50976, 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]. Läuse is at rank #43,335, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈlɔɪ̯zə].
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 50976, this pair ranks #1,153,258 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Läufer vs Läuse
Shared letters: eluä. Private to "Läufer": fr. Private to "Läuse": s.
"Läufer" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC · "Läuse" · 5 letters · shape CVVCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Läufer" for "Läuse" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "Läufer" or "Läuse" show up more?
Useful next steps
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 "Läuse" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,153,258 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Läufer" and "Läuse" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "lame vs Läuse". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,153,258 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.