lässtvslöstWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#318
“lässt” frequency rank
#3,389
“löst” frequency rank
3707
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature lässt löst
Definition 2. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs lassen 2. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs lösen

Where the eye mixes lässt and löst

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

5 ch
lässt
4 ch
löst

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. lässt ([lɛst]) and löst ([løːst]) 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 3707, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

lässt is recorded at frequency rank #318, classified as averb, pronounced [lɛst]. löst is at rank #3,389, tagged as averb, pronounced [løːst].

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 3707, this pair ranks #1,999,580 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of lässt vs löst

Shared letters: lst. Private to "lässt": ä. Private to "löst": ö.

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

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "lässt" and "löst" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([lɛst] versus [løːst]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "lässt" or "löst"?
"lässt" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #318 in our German list, against #3,389 for "löst". 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