lax vs lis, What's the Difference?

Which to use

“lax” is an adjective and “lis” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#43,323
“lax” frequency rank: #38,263
“lis” frequency rank: 81586
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	lax	lis
Definition	nicht streng (in der Auslegung von Regeln)	Stieleiche

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set lax and lis apart are highlighted. They share 1 letter in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

3 ch

lax

3 ch

lis

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: lax is [laks] while lis is [lis]. 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 noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 81586, 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]. lis is at rank #38,263, tagged as anoun, pronounced [lis].

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 81586, this pair ranks #172,910 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of lax vs lis

Shared letters: l. Private to "lax": ax. Private to "lis": is.

"lax" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "lis" · 3 letters · shape CVC

Frequency comparison

lax#43,323

lis#38,263

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "lax" and "lis" be used interchangeably?

No - they are not even the same part of speech. "lax" is an adjective and "lis" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.

Which is more common, "lax" or "lis"?

"lis" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #38,263 in our German list, against #43,323 for "lax". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering lax vs lis

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “lax”; for a noun, it's “lis”.
See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “lax” entry
Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable