Which to use
“lax” is an adjective and “leg” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #43,323
- “lax” frequency rank
- #7,358
- “leg” frequency rank
- 50681
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | lax | leg |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | nicht streng (in der Auslegung von Regeln) | 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs legen |
Where the eye mixes lax and leg
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence. lax and leg follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Look-alike desk: lax vs leg
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: lax is [laks] while leg is [leːk]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 50681, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
lax is recorded at frequency rank #43,323, classified as anadj, pronounced [laks]. leg is at rank #7,358, tagged as averb, pronounced [leːk].
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 50681, this pair ranks #1,164,552 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of lax vs leg
Shared letters: l. Private to "lax": ax. Private to "leg": eg.
"lax" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "leg" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "lax" and "leg" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "lax" or "leg" show up more?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "lax" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "leg" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,164,552 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "lax" and "leg" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "lame vs lax". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,164,552 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.