lächelndvslachendeWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: lächelnd is a verb, lachende is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“lächelnd” is a verb and “lachende” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#17,066
“lächelnd” frequency rank
#45,412
“lachende” frequency rank
62478
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature lächelnd lachende
Definition Partizip Präsens des Verbs lächeln Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs lachend

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set lächelnd and lachende apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
lächelnd
8 ch
lachende

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: lächelnd is [ˈlɛçl̩nt] while lachende is [ˈlaxn̩də]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 4 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 62478, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

lächelnd is recorded at frequency rank #17,066, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈlɛçl̩nt]. lachende is at rank #45,412, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈlaxn̩də].

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 62478, this pair ranks #711,481 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of lächelnd vs lachende

Shared letters: cdehln. Private to "lächelnd": ä. Private to "lachende": a.

"lächelnd" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCCC  ·  "lachende" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • lachendealchende · lacchende · lacehnde · lachedne · lachendde · lachened · lachennde · lachhende

Frequency comparison

lächelnd#17,066
lachende#45,412

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "lächelnd" and "lachende" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "lächelnd" is a verb and "lachende" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "lächelnd" or "lachende"?
"lächelnd" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #17,066 in our German list, against #45,412 for "lachende". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering lächelnd vs lachende

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “lächelnd”; for an adjective, it's “lachende”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “lächelnd” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list