Which to use
“lässt” and “lest” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #318
- “lässt” frequency rank
- #18,316
- “lest” frequency rank
- 18634
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | lässt | lest |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 2. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs lassen | 2. Person Plural Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs lesen |
Where the eye mixes lässt and lest
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. lässt ([lɛst]) and lest ([leːst]) 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 18634, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
lässt is recorded at frequency rank #318, classified as averb, pronounced [lɛst]. lest is at rank #18,316, tagged as averb, pronounced [leːst].
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 18634, this pair ranks #1,916,377 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of lässt vs lest
Shared letters: lst. Private to "lässt": ä. Private to "lest": e.
"lässt" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC · "lest" · 4 letters · shape CVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- lest ← elst · lesst · lestt · llest · lset