läutenvsLeutenWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: läuten is a verb, Leuten is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“läuten” is a verb and “Leuten” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#21,685
“läuten” frequency rank
#1,114
“Leuten” frequency rank
22799
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature läuten Leuten
Definition Geräusche durch das Bewegen einer Glocke hervorrufen Dativ Plural des Substantivs Leute

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set läuten and Leuten apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
läuten
6 ch
Leuten

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

Say them out loud and nothing separates them: läuten and Leuten carry the same recorded pronunciation, [ˈlɔɪ̯tn̩]. Grammar is what tells them apart: one is averb, the other anoun, so most sentences will only accept one of them. They differ by a single letter - ä in “läuten” becomes e in “Leuten”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 22799, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

läuten is recorded at frequency rank #21,685, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈlɔɪ̯tn̩]. Leuten is at rank #1,114, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈlɔɪ̯tn̩].

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 22799, this pair ranks #1,869,613 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of läuten vs Leuten

Shared letters: elntu. Private to "läuten": ä. Private to "Leuten": -.

"läuten" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC  ·  "Leuten" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Leuteneluten · letuen · leuetn · leutenn · leutne · leutten · lleuten · lueten

Frequency comparison

läuten#21,685
Leuten#1,114

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "läuten" and "Leuten" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "läuten" is a verb and "Leuten" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "läuten" or "Leuten"?
"Leuten" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,114 in our German list, against #21,685 for "läuten". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering läuten vs Leuten

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “läuten”; for a noun, it's “Leuten”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “läuten” 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