Which to use
“Läufern” and “Laufwerk” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #47,574
- “Läufern” frequency rank
- #32,147
- “Laufwerk” frequency rank
- 79721
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Läufern | Laufwerk |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Dativ Plural des Substantivs Läufer | Speichergerät eines Computers mit Lese-/Schreibzugriff |
Where the eye mixes Läufern and Laufwerk
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. Läufern runs 7 letters (CVVCVCC) against Laufwerk's 8 (CVVCCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses Läufern with Laufwerk
A purely visual mix-up. Läufern ([ˈlɔɪ̯fɐn]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 79721, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Läufern is recorded at frequency rank #47,574, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈlɔɪ̯fɐn]. 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 79721, this pair ranks #210,514 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of Läufern vs Laufwerk
Shared letters: eflru. Private to "Läufern": nä. Private to "Laufwerk": akw.
"Läufern" · 7 letters · shape CVVCVCC · "Laufwerk" · 8 letters · shape CVVCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- Laufwerk ← alufwerk · lafuwerk · laufewrk · lauffwerk · laufwekr · laufwerkk · laufwerrk · laufwrek
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Läufern" for "Laufwerk" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "Läufern" or "Laufwerk" show up more?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "Läufern" and "Laufwerk" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "Läufern" 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 #210,514 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Läufern" and "Laufwerk" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Lasern vs Läufern". 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 #210,514 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.