Which to use
“lauschen” and “löschen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #18,314
- “lauschen” frequency rank
- #3,388
- “löschen” frequency rank
- 21702
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | lauschen | löschen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | heimlich und aufmerksam einem Gespräch folgen | ein Feuer vernichten |
Where the eye mixes lauschen and löschen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: lauschen vs löschen
A purely visual mix-up. lauschen ([ˈlaʊ̯ʃn̩]) and löschen ([ˈlœʃn̩]) 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 21702, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
lauschen is recorded at frequency rank #18,314, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈlaʊ̯ʃn̩]. löschen is at rank #3,388, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈlœʃn̩].
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 21702, this pair ranks #1,883,139 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of lauschen vs löschen
Shared letters: cehlns. Private to "lauschen": au. Private to "löschen": ö.
"lauschen" · 8 letters · shape CVVCCCVC · "löschen" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- lauschen ← aluschen · lasuchen · laucshen · lauscchen · lauscehn · lauschenn · lauschhen · lauschne
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "lauschen" and "löschen" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "lauschen" or "löschen"?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "lauschen" and "löschen" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "lauschen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "löschen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,883,139 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "lauschen" and "löschen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "lauschen vs lauschte". 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 #1,883,139 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.