Which to use
“lästern” and “lösten” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #31,671
- “lästern” frequency rank
- #18,977
- “lösten” frequency rank
- 50648
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | lästern | lösten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | durch verächtliches Gerede beleidigen (insbesondere Gott, etwas Heiliges) | 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs lösen |
Where the eye mixes lästern and lösten
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. lästern runs 7 letters (CVCCVCC) against lösten's 6 (CVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses lästern with lösten
A purely visual mix-up. lästern ([ˈlɛstɐn]) and lösten ([ˈløːstn̩]) 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 50648, 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]. lösten is at rank #18,977, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈløːstn̩].
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 50648, this pair ranks #1,165,769 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of lästern vs lösten
Shared letters: elnst. Private to "lästern": rä. Private to "lösten": ö.
"lästern" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC · "lösten" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "lästern" for "lösten" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "lästern" or "lösten" show up more?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "lästern" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "lösten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,165,769 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "lästern" and "lösten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Lasern vs lästern". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,165,769 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.