Which to use
“lächeln” and “lächelt” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,734
- “lächeln” frequency rank
- #11,925
- “lächelt” frequency rank
- 14659
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | lächeln | lächelt |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | die Mundwinkel nach oben zu einem Grinsen ziehen und dabei (oft oder selten, je nach Person) den Mund leicht öffnen, wodurch man die Zähne sehen kann | 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs lächeln |
Where the eye mixes lächeln and lächelt
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. lächeln and lächelt follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCCVCC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Visual trap between lächeln and lächelt
A purely visual mix-up. lächeln ([ˈlɛçl̩n]) and lächelt ([ˈlɛçl̩t]) 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 a single letter - n in “lächeln” becomes t in “lächelt”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 14659, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
lächeln is recorded at frequency rank #2,734, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈlɛçl̩n]. lächelt is at rank #11,925, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈlɛçl̩t].
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 14659, this pair ranks #1,949,654 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of lächeln vs lächelt
Shared letters: cehlä. Private to "lächeln": n. Private to "lächelt": t.
"lächeln" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC · "lächelt" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "lächeln" for "lächelt" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "lächeln" or "lächelt" show up more?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "lächeln" and "lächelt" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "lächeln" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "lächelt" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,949,654 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "lächeln" and "lächelt" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "lächelst vs lächelt". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,949,654 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.