Which to use
“lachen” and “lächle” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,486
- “lachen” frequency rank
- #39,515
- “lächle” frequency rank
- 41001
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | lachen | lächle |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | wegen Belustigung den Mund öffnen und Laute ausstoßen | 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs lächeln |
Where the eye mixes lachen and lächle
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. lachen (CVCCVC) and lächle (CVCCCV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Look-alike desk: lachen vs lächle
A purely visual mix-up. lachen ([ˈlaxn̩]) and lächle ([ˈlɛçlə]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 3 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 41001, 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]. lächle is at rank #39,515, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈlɛçlə].
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 41001, this pair ranks #1,492,139 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of lachen vs lächle
Shared letters: cehl. Private to "lachen": an. Private to "lächle": ä.
"lachen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "lächle" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- lachen ← alchen · lacchen · lacehn · lachenn · lachhen · lachne · lahcen · lcahen
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "lachen" and "lächle" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "lachen" or "lächle" show up more?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "lachen" and "lächle" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "lachen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "lächle" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,492,139 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "lachen" and "lächle" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "lächle vs Lacke". 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 #1,492,139 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.