lesenvsLotsenWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#506
“lesen” frequency rank
#45,433
“Lotsen” frequency rank
45939
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature lesen Lotsen
Definition Schriftzeichen, Worte und Texte (mithilfe der Augen) wahrnehmen sowie (im Gehirn) verarbeiten und verstehen, sowie dies gegebenenfalls laut vorlesen Genitiv Singular des Substantivs Lotse

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set lesen and Lotsen apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
lesen
6 ch
Lotsen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: lesen is [ˈleːzn̩] while Lotsen is [ˈloːt͡sn̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 45939, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

lesen is recorded at frequency rank #506, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈleːzn̩]. Lotsen is at rank #45,433, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈloːt͡sn̩].

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 45939, this pair ranks #1,336,024 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of lesen vs Lotsen

Shared letters: elns. Private to "lesen": -. Private to "Lotsen": ot.

"lesen" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "Lotsen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • lesenelsen · leesn · lesenn · lesne · lessen · llesen · lseen
  • Lotsenllotsen · losten · lotesn · lotsenn · lotsne · lotssen · lottsen · ltosen

Frequency comparison

lesen#506
Lotsen#45,433

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "lesen" and "Lotsen" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "lesen" is a verb and "Lotsen" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "lesen" or "Lotsen"?
"lesen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #506 in our German list, against #45,433 for "Lotsen". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering lesen vs Lotsen

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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