lisvsLuxWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

“lis” and “Lux” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#38,263
“lis” frequency rank
#14,354
“Lux” frequency rank
52617
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature lis Lux
Definition Stieleiche Einheit der Beleuchtungsstärke

Where the eye mixes lis and Lux

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.

3 ch
lis
3 ch
Lux

Why the eye confuses lis with Lux

A purely visual mix-up. lis ([lis]) and Lux ([lʊks]) 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 52617, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

lis is recorded at frequency rank #38,263, classified as anoun, pronounced [lis]. Lux is at rank #14,354, tagged as anoun, pronounced [lʊks].

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 52617, this pair ranks #1,089,826 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of lis vs Lux

Shared letters: l. Private to "lis": is. Private to "Lux": ux.

"lis" · 3 letters · shape CVC  ·  "Lux" · 3 letters · shape CVC

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "lis" and "Lux" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([lis] versus [lʊks]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "lis" vs "Lux" - which ranks higher?
"Lux" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #14,354 in our German list, against #38,263 for "lis". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "lis" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Lux" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,089,826 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "lis" and "Lux" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Lees vs lis". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #1,089,826 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list