lähmtvslässtTell them apart

Which to use

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

#49,876
“lähmt” frequency rank
#318
“lässt” frequency rank
50194
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature lähmt lässt
Definition 2. Person Plural Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs lähmen 2. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs lassen

Where the eye mixes lähmt and lässt

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.

5 ch
lähmt
5 ch
lässt

Why the eye confuses lähmt with lässt

A purely visual mix-up. lähmt ([lɛːmt]) and lässt ([lɛst]) 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 50194, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

lähmt is recorded at frequency rank #49,876, classified as averb, pronounced [lɛːmt]. lässt is at rank #318, tagged as averb, pronounced [lɛst].

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 50194, this pair ranks #1,183,019 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of lähmt vs lässt

Shared letters: ltä. Private to "lähmt": hm. Private to "lässt": s.

"lähmt" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC  ·  "lässt" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "lähmt" for "lässt" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([lɛːmt] versus [lɛst]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "lähmt" vs "lässt" - which ranks higher?
"lässt" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #318 in our German list, against #49,876 for "lähmt". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

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 "lähmt" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "lässt" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,183,019 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "lähmt" and "lässt" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "lähmt vs lame". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #1,183,019 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list