lästigenvslustigenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#30,673
“lästigen” frequency rank
#9,946
“lustigen” frequency rank
40619
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature lästigen lustigen
Definition Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs lästig Genitiv Singular Maskulinum Positiv der starken Flexion des Adjektivs lustig

Where the eye mixes lästigen and lustigen

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence.

8 ch
lästigen
8 ch
lustigen

Why the eye confuses lästigen with lustigen

A purely visual mix-up. lästigen ([ˈlɛstɪɡn̩]) and lustigen ([ˈlʊstɪɡn̩]) 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 a single letter - ä in “lästigen” becomes u in “lustigen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 40619, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

lästigen is recorded at frequency rank #30,673, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈlɛstɪɡn̩]. lustigen is at rank #9,946, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈlʊstɪɡn̩].

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 40619, this pair ranks #1,503,284 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of lästigen vs lustigen

Shared letters: egilnst. Private to "lästigen": ä. Private to "lustigen": u.

"lästigen" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC  ·  "lustigen" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • lustigenllustigen · lsutigen · lusitgen · lusstigen · lustgien · lustiegn · lustigenn · lustiggen

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "lästigen" and "lustigen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈlɛstɪɡn̩] versus [ˈlʊstɪɡn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "lästigen" or "lustigen"?
"lustigen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #9,946 in our German list, against #30,673 for "lästigen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "lästigen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "lustigen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,503,284 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "lästigen" and "lustigen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "lästige vs lästigen". Nearby pair
  • Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes

Confusion rank #1,503,284 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list