Which to use
“Lichten” and “Lichtern” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #28,291
- “Lichten” frequency rank
- #37,055
- “Lichtern” frequency rank
- 65346
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Lichten | Lichtern |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Dativ Plural des Substantivs Licht | Dativ Plural des Substantivs Licht |
Where the eye mixes Lichten and Lichtern
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses Lichten with Lichtern
A purely visual mix-up. Lichten ([ˈlɪçtn̩]) and Lichtern ([ˈlɪçtɐn]) 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 65346, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Lichten is recorded at frequency rank #28,291, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈlɪçtn̩]. Lichtern is at rank #37,055, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈlɪçtɐn].
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 65346, this pair ranks #610,138 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Lichten vs Lichtern
Shared letters: cehilnt. Private to "Lichten": -. Private to "Lichtern": r.
"Lichten" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC · "Lichtern" · 8 letters · shape CVCCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "Lichten" and "Lichtern" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "Lichten" or "Lichtern"?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "Lichten" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Lichtern" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #610,138 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Lichten" and "Lichtern" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "lichen vs Lichtern". 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 #610,138 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.