lachtenvsLichtenWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: lachten is a verb, Lichten is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“lachten” is a verb and “Lichten” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#28,285
“lachten” frequency rank
#28,291
“Lichten” frequency rank
56576
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature lachten Lichten
Definition 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs lachen Dativ Plural des Substantivs Licht

Where the spellings diverge

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

7 ch
lachten
7 ch
Lichten

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: lachten is [ˈlaxtn̩] while Lichten is [ˈlɪçtn̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - a in “lachten” becomes i in “Lichten”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 56576, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

lachten is recorded at frequency rank #28,285, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈlaxtn̩]. Lichten is at rank #28,291, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈlɪçtn̩].

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 56576, this pair ranks #934,940 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of lachten vs Lichten

Shared letters: cehlnt. Private to "lachten": a. Private to "Lichten": i.

"lachten" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC  ·  "Lichten" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • lachtenalchten · lacchten · lachetn · lachhten · lachtenn · lachtne · lachtten · lacthen
  • Lichtenilchten · lcihten · licchten · lichetn · lichhten · lichtenn · lichtne · lichtten

Frequency comparison

lachten#28,285
Lichten#28,291

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "lachten" and "Lichten" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "lachten" is a verb and "Lichten" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "lachten" or "Lichten"?
"lachten" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #28,285 in our German list, against #28,291 for "Lichten". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering lachten vs Lichten

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “lachten”; for a noun, it's “Lichten”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “lachten” 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