VerlaubvsverläuftConfusable pair

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

Which to use

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

#30,359
“Verlaub” frequency rank
#5,663
“verläuft” frequency rank
36022
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Verlaub verläuft
Definition Erlaubnis 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs verlaufen

Where the eye mixes Verlaub and verläuft

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.

7 ch
Verlaub
8 ch
verläuft

Visual trap between Verlaub and verläuft

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Verlaub is [fɛɐ̯ˈlaʊ̯p] while verläuft is [fɛɐ̯ˈlɔɪ̯ft]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 36022, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Verlaub is recorded at frequency rank #30,359, classified as anoun, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈlaʊ̯p]. verläuft is at rank #5,663, tagged as averb, pronounced [fɛɐ̯ˈlɔɪ̯ft].

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 36022, this pair ranks #1,625,920 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Verlaub vs verläuft

Shared letters: elruv. Private to "Verlaub": ab. Private to "verläuft": ftä.

"Verlaub" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVVC  ·  "verläuft" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Verlaubevrlaub · velraub · veralub · verlabu · verlaubb · verllaub · verluab · verrlaub

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Verlaub" and "verläuft" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "Verlaub" is a noun and "verläuft" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Frequency check: "Verlaub" vs "verläuft" - which ranks higher?
"verläuft" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,663 in our German list, against #30,359 for "Verlaub". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Verlaub" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "verläuft" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,625,920 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Verlaub" and "verläuft" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "verdaut vs Verlaub". Nearby pair
  • Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes

Confusion rank #1,625,920 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