lauschtevslöschteWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#49,044
“lauschte” frequency rank
#37,661
“löschte” frequency rank
86705
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature lauschte löschte
Definition 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs lauschen 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs löschen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set lauschte and löschte apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
lauschte
7 ch
löschte

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. lauschte ([ˈlaʊ̯ʃtə]) and löschte ([ˈlœʃtə]) 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 86705, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

lauschte is recorded at frequency rank #49,044, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈlaʊ̯ʃtə]. löschte is at rank #37,661, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈlœʃtə].

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 86705, this pair ranks #90,050 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of lauschte vs löschte

Shared letters: cehlst. Private to "lauschte": au. Private to "löschte": ö.

"lauschte" · 8 letters · shape CVVCCCCV  ·  "löschte" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • lauschtealuschte · lasuchte · laucshte · lauscchte · lauschet · lauschhte · lauschtte · lauscthe

Frequency comparison

lauschte#49,044
löschte#37,661

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "lauschte" and "löschte" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈlaʊ̯ʃtə] versus [ˈlœʃtə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "lauschte" or "löschte"?
"löschte" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #37,661 in our German list, against #49,044 for "lauschte". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering lauschte vs löschte

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “lauschte” 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