Lauf

[laʊ̯f]

/[laʊ̯f]/ noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

The verdict

“Lauf” has 5 generated spelling variants in the German index at frequency #1,737. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#1,737
frequency rank, German
2,640
“L” headwords
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - schnelle Fortbewegung zu Fuß, bei der kurzzeitig kein Bodenkontakt besteht

Corpus desk

Index DE-lauf · Lauf · German

Lauf · rank #1,737 · 5 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #1,737
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 5 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,640
  • PHOTO-FINISH krank

Nearest frequency peer: krank (-1 rank slots)

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Frequency neighbourhood for “Lauf”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “Lauf” sits against the nearest ranked German headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

Lauf vs Lu
50% similar
Lauf vs law
25% similar
Lauf vs lud
25% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for Lauf
PropertyValue
HeadwordLauf
LanguageGerman
Part of speechNoun
IPA[laʊ̯f]
Letters4
Frequency rank#1,737
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Lauf” sits in German frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). Lauf lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 5 spelling variants around Lauf (IPA [laʊ̯f]), anoun. Corpus frequency is #1,737 among 2,640 “L” headwords. Wiktionary lists 10 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for Lauf, with forms such as "aluf", "lafu", and "lauff". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "Lu", "law", "lud", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

This entry's etymology isn't recorded, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct German form is Lauf, spelled L-A-U-F.

Definition

  1. 1
    schnelle Fortbewegung zu Fuß, bei der kurzzeitig kein Bodenkontakt besteht
  2. 2
    sportlicher Wettkampf, bei dem die Teilnehmer eine bestimmte Strecke laufen
  3. 3
    zeitliche Abfolge von Ereignissen
  4. 4
    schnelle Abfolge von Tönen
  5. 5
    Glückssträhne im Spiel
  6. 6
    Weg eines fließenden Gewässers
  7. 7
    Bein des Haarwildes
  8. 8
    Rohr einer Handfeuerwaffe
  9. 9
    kontinuierliche Bewegung einer Maschine
  10. 10
    die automatisierte Abarbeitung bestimmter (wirtschaftlicher) Prozesse in einer Massenverarbeitung

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how Lauf appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Hervorragende Athleten erzielen beim Lauf über einhundert Meter Zeiten von etwa 10 Sekunden.
  2. Im Laufe nur weniger Jahre ergrauten ihm die Haare.

Synonyms

LaufaktivitätLaufenRasenRennenVerlaufGang

This word in other languages

run(English)carrera(Español)course(Français)corrida(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • aluf
  • lafu
  • lauff
  • llauf
  • luaf

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of Lauf - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

aluf2lafu2lauff1llauf1luaf2
Edit distance from "Lauf"

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "Lauf"?
"Lauf" is spelled L-A-U-F. The IPA pronunciation is [laʊ̯f].
What does "Lauf" mean?
As a noun, "Lauf" means: schnelle Fortbewegung zu Fuß, bei der kurzzeitig kein Bodenkontakt besteht
What words are commonly confused with "Lauf"?
"Lauf" is commonly confused with "Lu", "law", "lud". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "Lauf"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Lauf" is [laʊ̯f]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "Lauf" come from?
"Lauf" is a German word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar German words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "Lauf", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked German headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

lief#1,738geil#1,729Wind#1,752nett#1,706

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (5 here; floor ≥5).

Falle5 variantsroten5 variantsEcke5 variantsKauf5 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "Lauf". Here's where to go from here.

  • "Lauf" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "Lu". View pair
  • 5 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #1,737 among German headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more German words in the "L" letter cohort. L–Z browse

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list