lachenvslachendWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“lachen” and “lachend” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#1,486
“lachen” frequency rank
#11,913
“lachend” frequency rank
13399
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature lachen lachend
Definition wegen Belustigung den Mund öffnen und Laute ausstoßen Partizip Präsens des Verbs lachen

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
lachen
7 ch
lachend

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. lachen ([ˈlaxn̩]) and lachend ([laxn̩t]) 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) - “lachen” sits inside “lachend”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 13399, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

lachen is recorded at frequency rank #1,486, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈlaxn̩]. lachend is at rank #11,913, tagged as averb, pronounced [laxn̩t].

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 13399, this pair ranks #1,958,249 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of lachen vs lachend

Shared letters: acehln. Private to "lachen": -. Private to "lachend": d.

"lachen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "lachend" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • lachenalchen · lacchen · lacehn · lachenn · lachhen · lachne · lahcen · lcahen
  • lachendalchend · lacchend · lacehnd · lachedn · lachendd · lachennd · lachhend · lachned

Frequency comparison

lachen#1,486
lachend#11,913

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "lachen" and "lachend" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈlaxn̩] versus [laxn̩t]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "lachen" or "lachend"?
"lachen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,486 in our German list, against #11,913 for "lachend". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering lachen vs lachend

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “lachen” 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