lässigvslästigWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#15,426
“lässig” frequency rank
#16,484
“lästig” frequency rank
31910
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature lässig lästig
Definition leger, ungezwungen, ohne Förmlichkeit auf unangenehme Weise störend, hinderlich

Where the eye mixes lässig and lästig

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.

6 ch
lässig
6 ch
lästig

Look-alike desk: lässig vs lästig

A purely visual mix-up. lässig ([ˈlɛsɪç]) and lästig ([ˈlɛstɪç]) 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 a single letter - s in “lässig” becomes t in “lästig”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 31910, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

lässig is recorded at frequency rank #15,426, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈlɛsɪç]. lästig is at rank #16,484, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈlɛstɪç].

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 31910, this pair ranks #1,718,561 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of lässig vs lästig

Shared letters: gilsä. Private to "lässig": -. Private to "lästig": t.

"lässig" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "lästig" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "lässig" and "lästig" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈlɛsɪç] versus [ˈlɛstɪç]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
In ordinary German text, does "lässig" or "lästig" show up more?
"lässig" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #15,426 in our German list, against #16,484 for "lästig". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

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 "lässig" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "lästig" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,718,561 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "lässig" and "lästig" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "lässig vs Lasso". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #1,718,561 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