Which to use
“lachte” and “leckte” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #13,642
- “lachte” frequency rank
- #39,504
- “leckte” frequency rank
- 53146
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | lachte | leckte |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs lachen | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs lecken |
Where the eye mixes lachte and leckte
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: lachte vs leckte
A purely visual mix-up. lachte ([ˈlaxtə]) and leckte ([ˈlɛktə]) 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 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 53146, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
lachte is recorded at frequency rank #13,642, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈlaxtə]. leckte is at rank #39,504, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈlɛktə].
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 53146, this pair ranks #1,069,423 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of lachte vs leckte
Shared letters: celt. Private to "lachte": ah. Private to "leckte": k.
"lachte" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCV · "leckte" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "lachte" for "leckte" ever safe?
Frequency check: "lachte" vs "leckte" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "lachte" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "leckte" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,069,423 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "lachte" and "leckte" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Lacke vs leckte". 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 #1,069,423 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.