Which to use
“lasen” and “lästern” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #28,289
- “lasen” frequency rank
- #31,671
- “lästern” frequency rank
- 59960
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | lasen | lästern |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs lesen | durch verächtliches Gerede beleidigen (insbesondere Gott, etwas Heiliges) |
Where the eye mixes lasen and lästern
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. lasen runs 5 letters (CVCVC) against lästern's 7 (CVCCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses lasen with lästern
A purely visual mix-up. lasen ([ˈlaːzn̩]) and lästern ([ˈlɛstɐn]) 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 59960, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
lasen is recorded at frequency rank #28,289, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈlaːzn̩]. lästern is at rank #31,671, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈlɛstɐn].
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 59960, this pair ranks #804,920 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of lasen vs lästern
Shared letters: elns. Private to "lasen": a. Private to "lästern": rtä.
"lasen" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "lästern" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- lasen ← alsen · laesn · lasenn · lasne · llasen · lsaen
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "lasen" for "lästern" ever safe?
Which is more common, "lasen" or "lästern"?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "lasen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "lästern" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #804,920 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "lasen" and "lästern" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Lasern vs lästern". 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 #804,920 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.