lassenvslässtWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#162
“lassen” frequency rank
#318
“lässt” frequency rank
480
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature lassen lässt
Definition nichts verändern und somit alles so lassen, wie es ist; etwas beim Status quo belassen 2. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs lassen

Where the eye mixes lassen and lässt

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

6 ch
lassen
5 ch
lässt

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. lassen ([ˈlasn̩]) 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 differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 480, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

lassen is recorded at frequency rank #162, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈlasn̩]. 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 480, this pair ranks #2,005,790 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of lassen vs lässt

Shared letters: ls. Private to "lassen": aen. Private to "lässt": .

"lassen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "lässt" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • lassenalssen · lasesn · lassenn · lassne · laßen · llassen · lsasen

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "lassen" and "lässt" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈlasn̩] versus [lɛst]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "lassen" or "lässt"?
"lassen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #162 in our German list, against #318 for "lässt". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list