lässtvslistWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#318
“lässt” frequency rank
#9,059
“list” frequency rank
9377
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature lässt list
Definition 2. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs lassen 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs listen

Where the eye mixes lässt and list

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

5 ch
lässt
4 ch
list

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. lässt ([lɛst]) and list ([lɪst]) 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 9377, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

lässt is recorded at frequency rank #318, classified as averb, pronounced [lɛst]. list is at rank #9,059, tagged as averb, pronounced [lɪst].

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 9377, this pair ranks #1,980,238 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of lässt vs list

Shared letters: lst. Private to "lässt": ä. Private to "list": i.

"lässt" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC  ·  "list" · 4 letters · shape CVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • listilst · lisst · listt · lits · llist · lsit

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "lässt" and "list" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([lɛst] versus [lɪst]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "lässt" or "list"?
"lässt" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #318 in our German list, against #9,059 for "list". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list