LügevsLungeWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#4,372
“Lüge” frequency rank
#9,768
“Lunge” frequency rank
14140
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Lüge Lunge
Definition falsche Aussage, mit der andere bewusst getäuscht werden sollen ein Organ zum Atmen von Luft

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Lüge and Lunge apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
Lüge
5 ch
Lunge

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Lüge ([ˈlyːɡə]) and Lunge ([ˈlʊŋə]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 14140, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Lüge is recorded at frequency rank #4,372, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈlyːɡə]. Lunge is at rank #9,768, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈlʊŋə].

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 14140, this pair ranks #1,953,287 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Lüge vs Lunge

Shared letters: egl. Private to "Lüge": ü. Private to "Lunge": nu.

"Lüge" · 4 letters · shape CVCV  ·  "Lunge" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Lungellunge · lnuge · lugne · luneg · lungge · lunnge · ulnge

Frequency comparison

Lüge#4,372
Lunge#9,768

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Lüge" and "Lunge" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈlyːɡə] versus [ˈlʊŋə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Lüge" or "Lunge"?
"Lüge" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,372 in our German list, against #9,768 for "Lunge". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Lüge vs Lunge

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “Lüge” 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