Which to use
“lauschen” and “lutschen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #18,314
- “lauschen” frequency rank
- #24,034
- “lutschen” frequency rank
- 42348
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | lauschen | lutschen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | heimlich und aufmerksam einem Gespräch folgen | etwas im Mund zwischen Zunge und Gaumen bewegen, um es zergehen zu lassen und zu verspeisen |
Where the eye mixes lauschen and lutschen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. lauschen (CVVCCCVC) and lutschen (CVCCCCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses lauschen with lutschen
A purely visual mix-up. lauschen ([ˈlaʊ̯ʃn̩]) and lutschen ([ˈlʊt͡ʃn̩]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 42348, 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]. 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 42348, this pair ranks #1,452,111 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of lauschen vs lutschen
Shared letters: cehlnsu. Private to "lauschen": a. Private to "lutschen": t.
"lauschen" · 8 letters · shape CVVCCCVC · "lutschen" · 8 letters · shape CVCCCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "lauschen" and "lutschen" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary German text, does "lauschen" or "lutschen" show up more?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "lauschen" and "lutschen" 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 "lutschen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,452,111 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "lauschen" and "lutschen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "lutsch vs lutschen". 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 #1,452,111 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.