Which to use
“lächeln” and “lächelte” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,734
- “lächeln” frequency rank
- #17,354
- “lächelte” frequency rank
- 20088
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | lächeln | lächelte |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs lächeln |
Where the eye mixes lächeln and lächelte
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. lächeln runs 7 letters (CVCCVCC) against lächelte's 8 (CVCCVCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between lächeln and lächelte
A purely visual mix-up. lächeln ([ˈlɛçl̩n]) and lächelte ([ˈlɛçl̩tə]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 20088, 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]. lächelte is at rank #17,354, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈlɛçl̩tə].
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 20088, this pair ranks #1,901,416 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of lächeln vs lächelte
Shared letters: cehlä. Private to "lächeln": n. Private to "lächelte": t.
"lächeln" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC · "lächelte" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "lächeln" and "lächelte" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary German text, does "lächeln" or "lächelte" show up more?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "lächeln" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "lächelte" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,901,416 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "lächeln" and "lächelte" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "lächelst vs lächelte". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,901,416 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.