lachtvslauschtWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#3,827
“lacht” frequency rank
#49,043
“lauscht” frequency rank
52870
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature lacht lauscht
Definition 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs lachen 2. Person Plural Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs lauschen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set lacht and lauscht apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
lacht
7 ch
lauscht

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. lacht ([laxt]) and lauscht ([laʊ̯ʃt]) 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 52870, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

lacht is recorded at frequency rank #3,827, classified as averb, pronounced [laxt]. lauscht is at rank #49,043, tagged as averb, pronounced [laʊ̯ʃt].

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 52870, this pair ranks #1,080,082 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of lacht vs lauscht

Shared letters: achlt. Private to "lacht": -. Private to "lauscht": su.

"lacht" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC  ·  "lauscht" · 7 letters · shape CVVCCCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • lachtalcht · laccht · lachht · lachtt · lacth · lahct · lcaht · llacht
  • lauschtaluscht · lasucht · laucsht · lausccht · lauschht · lauschtt · lauscth · laushct

Frequency comparison

lacht#3,827
lauscht#49,043

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "lacht" and "lauscht" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([laxt] versus [laʊ̯ʃt]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "lacht" or "lauscht"?
"lacht" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,827 in our German list, against #49,043 for "lauscht". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering lacht vs lauscht

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 “lacht” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list