Which to use
“lächelte” and “lachte” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #17,354
- “lächelte” frequency rank
- #13,642
- “lachte” frequency rank
- 30996
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | lächelte | lachte |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs lächeln | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs lachen |
Where the eye mixes lächelte and lachte
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. lächelte runs 8 letters (CVCCVCCV) against lachte's 6 (CVCCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses lächelte with lachte
A purely visual mix-up. lächelte ([ˈlɛçl̩tə]) and lachte ([ˈlaxtə]) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 30996, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
lächelte is recorded at frequency rank #17,354, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈlɛçl̩tə]. lachte is at rank #13,642, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈlaxtə].
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 30996, this pair ranks #1,736,863 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of lächelte vs lachte
Shared letters: cehlt. Private to "lächelte": ä. Private to "lachte": a.
"lächelte" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCCV · "lachte" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- lachte ← alchte · lacchte · lachet · lachhte · lachtte · lacthe · lahcte · lcahte
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "lächelte" and "lachte" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "lächelte" or "lachte" show up more?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "lächelte" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "lachte" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,736,863 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "lächelte" and "lachte" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "lächelst vs lächelte". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #1,736,863 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.