Which to use
“Läuse” and “Laute” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #43,335
- “Läuse” frequency rank
- #6,948
- “Laute” frequency rank
- 50283
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Läuse | Laute |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Laus | Saiteninstrument mit birnenförmigem Korpus und angesetztem Hals |
Where the eye mixes Läuse and Laute
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses Läuse with Laute
A purely visual mix-up. Läuse ([ˈlɔɪ̯zə]) and Laute ([ˈlaʊ̯tə]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 50283, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Läuse is recorded at frequency rank #43,335, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈlɔɪ̯zə]. Laute is at rank #6,948, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈlaʊ̯tə].
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 50283, this pair ranks #1,179,550 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Läuse vs Laute
Shared letters: elu. Private to "Läuse": sä. Private to "Laute": at.
"Läuse" · 5 letters · shape CVVCV · "Laute" · 5 letters · shape CVVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- Laute ← alute · latue · lauet · llaute · luate
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Läuse" for "Laute" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "Läuse" or "Laute" show up more?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "Läuse" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Laute" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,179,550 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Läuse" and "Laute" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "lame vs Läuse". 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 #1,179,550 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.