Which to use
“lachen” and “löschen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,486
- “lachen” frequency rank
- #3,388
- “löschen” frequency rank
- 4874
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | lachen | löschen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | wegen Belustigung den Mund öffnen und Laute ausstoßen | ein Feuer vernichten |
Where the eye mixes lachen and löschen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. lachen runs 6 letters (CVCCVC) against löschen's 7 (CVCCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: lachen vs löschen
A purely visual mix-up. lachen ([ˈlaxn̩]) and löschen ([ˈlœʃn̩]) 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 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 4874, 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]. löschen is at rank #3,388, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈlœʃn̩].
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 4874, this pair ranks #1,996,421 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of lachen vs löschen
Shared letters: cehln. Private to "lachen": a. Private to "löschen": sö.
"lachen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "löschen" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- lachen ← alchen · lacchen · lacehn · lachenn · lachhen · lachne · lahcen · lcahen
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "lachen" and "löschen" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "lachen" vs "löschen" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "lachen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "löschen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,996,421 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "lachen" and "löschen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "lachen 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 #1,996,421 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.