Which to use
“lächelt” and “lächelte” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #11,925
- “lächelt” frequency rank
- #17,354
- “lächelte” frequency rank
- 29279
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | lächelt | lächelte |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs lächeln | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs lächeln |
Where the eye mixes lächelt and lächelte
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. lächelt 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 lächelt and lächelte
A purely visual mix-up. lächelt ([ˈlɛçl̩t]) 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 extra letter(s) - “lächelt” sits inside “lächelte”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 29279, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
lächelt is recorded at frequency rank #11,925, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈlɛçl̩t]. 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 29279, this pair ranks #1,769,818 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of lächelt vs lächelte
Shared letters: cehltä. Private to "lächelt": -. Private to "lächelte": -.
"lächelt" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC · "lächelte" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "lächelt" and "lächelte" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "lächelt" or "lächelte"?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "lächelt" 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 #1,769,818 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "lächelt" and "lächelte" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "lächelst vs lächelte". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,769,818 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.