Anlauf
[ˈanˌlaʊ̯f]
The verdict
“Anlauf” is a moderately-common German word, ranked #11,807 in German word frequency and used as a noun.
- #11,807
- frequency rank, German
- 6
- letters
- 8
- tracked misspellings
- 11
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - das Laufen vor einem Sprung oder Stoß, um Schwung zu holen
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | Anlauf |
| Language | German |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | [ˈanˌlaʊ̯f] |
| Letters | 6 |
| Frequency rank | #11,807 |
| Misspellings tracked | 8 |
| Confusable pairs | 11 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “Anlauf” sits in German frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The German entry for Anlauf is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [ˈanˌlaʊ̯f]. Corpus data places it at rank #11,807 in overall German word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for Anlauf, with forms such as "alnauf", "analuf", and "anlafu". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 11 confusable-pair relationships, "Anruf", "Auslauf", "Auflauf", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.
This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct German form is Anlauf, spelled A-N-L-A-U-F.
Definition
- 1das Laufen vor einem Sprung oder Stoß, um Schwung zu holen
- 2Versuch
- 3„Verbindungsglied zwischen einer waagerechten Platte und einer Wand in der Architektur“
- 4das Anfahren eines Hafens
- 5„das langsame Steigern der Betriebsgeschwindigkeit einer Maschine“
Synonyms
Antonyms
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: alnauf,analuf,anlafu,anlauff,anllauf,anluaf,annlauf,nalauf
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of Anlauf - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 German corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you spell "Anlauf"?
What does "Anlauf" mean?
What words are commonly confused with "Anlauf"?
How do you pronounce "Anlauf"?
What language does "Anlauf" come from?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “Anlauf”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct German spelling is A-N-L-A-U-F - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as [ˈanˌlaʊ̯f] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “Anruf” - see the side-by-side comparison. Anlauf vs Anruf
- Browse more German words and confusable pairs in the same reference. German words
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.