LatschenvslauschenWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#42,646
“Latschen” frequency rank
#18,314
“lauschen” frequency rank
60960
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Latschen lauschen
Definition einfacher, flacher, (bequemer, abgetragener) Schuh heimlich und aufmerksam einem Gespräch folgen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Latschen and lauschen apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
Latschen
8 ch
lauschen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Latschen is [ˈlaːt͡ʃn̩] while lauschen is [ˈlaʊ̯ʃn̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - t in “Latschen” becomes u in “lauschen”, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 60960, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Latschen is recorded at frequency rank #42,646, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈlaːt͡ʃn̩]. lauschen is at rank #18,314, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈlaʊ̯ʃn̩].

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 60960, this pair ranks #767,516 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Latschen vs lauschen

Shared letters: acehlns. Private to "Latschen": t. Private to "lauschen": u.

"Latschen" · 8 letters · shape CVCCCCVC  ·  "lauschen" · 8 letters · shape CVVCCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Latschenaltschen · lastchen · latcshen · latscchen · latscehn · latschenn · latschhen · latschne
  • lauschenaluschen · lasuchen · laucshen · lauscchen · lauscehn · lauschenn · lauschhen · lauschne

Frequency comparison

Latschen#42,646
lauschen#18,314

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Latschen" and "lauschen" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "Latschen" is a noun and "lauschen" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "Latschen" or "lauschen"?
"lauschen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #18,314 in our German list, against #42,646 for "Latschen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Latschen vs lauschen

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “Latschen”; for a verb, it's “lauschen”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “Latschen” 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