LatschenvslutschenWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#42,646
“Latschen” frequency rank
#24,034
“lutschen” frequency rank
66680
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Latschen lutschen
Definition einfacher, flacher, (bequemer, abgetragener) Schuh etwas im Mund zwischen Zunge und Gaumen bewegen, um es zergehen zu lassen und zu verspeisen

Where the spellings diverge

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

8 ch
Latschen
8 ch
lutschen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Latschen is [ˈlaːt͡ʃn̩] while lutschen is [ˈlʊt͡ʃn̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - a in “Latschen” becomes u in “lutschen”, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 66680, 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]. lutschen is at rank #24,034, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈlʊt͡ʃn̩].

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 66680, this pair ranks #565,129 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Latschen vs lutschen

Shared letters: cehlnst. Private to "Latschen": a. Private to "lutschen": u.

"Latschen" · 8 letters · shape CVCCCCVC  ·  "lutschen" · 8 letters · shape CVCCCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Latschenaltschen · lastchen · latcshen · latscchen · latscehn · latschenn · latschhen · latschne
  • lutschenllutschen · ltuschen · lustchen · lutcshen · lutscchen · lutscehn · lutschenn · lutschhen

Frequency comparison

Latschen#42,646
lutschen#24,034

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Latschen" and "lutschen" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "Latschen" is a noun and "lutschen" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "Latschen" or "lutschen"?
"lutschen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #24,034 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 lutschen

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 “lutschen”.
  • 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