Which to use
“lest” and “löst” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #18,316
- “lest” frequency rank
- #3,389
- “löst” frequency rank
- 21705
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | lest | löst |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 2. Person Plural Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs lesen | 2. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs lösen |
Where the eye mixes lest and löst
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses lest with löst
A purely visual mix-up. lest ([leːst]) and löst ([løːst]) 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 a single letter - e in “lest” becomes ö in “löst”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 21705, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
lest is recorded at frequency rank #18,316, classified as averb, pronounced [leːst]. löst is at rank #3,389, tagged as averb, pronounced [løːst].
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 21705, this pair ranks #1,883,108 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of lest vs löst
Shared letters: lst. Private to "lest": e. Private to "löst": ö.
"lest" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "löst" · 4 letters · shape CVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- lest ← elst · lesst · lestt · llest · lset
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "lest" and "löst" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "lest" or "löst" show up more?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "lest" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "löst" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,883,108 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "lest" and "löst" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Lees vs lest". 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 #1,883,108 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.