laufen

\ˈlau̯.fən\

/\ˈlau̯.fən\/ verb

The verdict

“laufen” is uncommon French (outside the top frequency list), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency French
6
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Marcher, aller.

Corpus desk

Index FR-laufen · laufen · French

laufen · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "L" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for laufen
PropertyValue
Headwordlaufen
LanguageFrench
Part of speechVerb
IPA\ˈlau̯.fən\
Letters6
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Longue queue: rang de « laufen » en français

laufenreste hors des 100.000 mots français les plus fréquents, dans la longue queue du vocabulaire technique, archaïque ou rare, là où le doute d'orthographe frappe.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

laufen is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as averb, transcribed \ˈlau̯.fən\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 7 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for laufen, suggesting the orthography follows predictable French patterns. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct French form is laufen, spelled L-A-U-F-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Marcher, aller.
  2. 2
    Courir.
  3. 3
    Marcher, fonctionner.
  4. 4
    Marcher, bien aller.
  5. 5
    Passer un programme à la télévision, au cinéma.
  6. 6
    Durer, être en cours, être valable pour une certaine période.
  7. 7
    Couler.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Er läuft den Fluss entlang.
  2. Es ist empfehlenswert, von Zeit zu Zeit Gewohnheiten zu hinterfragen. Laufe ich wirklich den schönsten und kürzesten Weg zur Haltestelle? Ist das Frisieren meines Resthaars über die haarlos gewordene Mittelstelle adäquat und modisch? Oder eben: Sitze ich richtig auf dem Klo?

Synonyms

Antonyms

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "laufen"?
"laufen" is spelled L-A-U-F-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is \ˈlau̯.fən\.
What does "laufen" mean?
As a verb, "laufen" means: Marcher, aller.
How do you pronounce "laufen"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "laufen" is \ˈlau̯.fən\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "laufen" come from?
"laufen" is a French word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list