lästernvsLetternWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: lästern is a verb, Lettern is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“lästern” is a verb and “Lettern” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#31,671
“lästern” frequency rank
#35,889
“Lettern” frequency rank
67560
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature lästern Lettern
Definition durch verächtliches Gerede beleidigen (insbesondere Gott, etwas Heiliges) Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Letter

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set lästern and Lettern apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
lästern
7 ch
Lettern

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: lästern is [ˈlɛstɐn] while Lettern is [ˈlɛtɐn]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 67560, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

lästern is recorded at frequency rank #31,671, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈlɛstɐn]. Lettern is at rank #35,889, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈlɛtɐn].

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 67560, this pair ranks #536,152 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of lästern vs Lettern

Shared letters: elnrt. Private to "lästern": . Private to "Lettern": -.

"lästern" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC  ·  "Lettern" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Letternletetrn · lettenr · letternn · letterrn · lettren · llettern · ltetern

Frequency comparison

lästern#31,671
Lettern#35,889

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "lästern" and "Lettern" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "lästern" is a verb and "Lettern" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "lästern" or "Lettern"?
"lästern" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #31,671 in our German list, against #35,889 for "Lettern". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering lästern vs Lettern

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “lästern”; for a noun, it's “Lettern”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “lästern” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list