LichtenvsLichtesWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#28,291
“Lichten” frequency rank
#34,784
“Lichtes” frequency rank
63075
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Lichten Lichtes
Definition Dativ Plural des Substantivs Licht Genitiv Singular des Substantivs Licht

Where the eye mixes Lichten and Lichtes

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.

7 ch
Lichten
7 ch
Lichtes

Visual trap between Lichten and Lichtes

A purely visual mix-up. Lichten ([ˈlɪçtn̩]) and Lichtes ([ˈlɪçtəs]) 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 - n in “Lichten” becomes s in “Lichtes”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 63075, 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]. Lichtes is at rank #34,784, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈlɪçtəs].

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 63075, this pair ranks #689,771 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Lichten vs Lichtes

Shared letters: cehilt. Private to "Lichten": n. Private to "Lichtes": s.

"Lichten" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC  ·  "Lichtes" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Lichtenilchten · lcihten · licchten · lichetn · lichhten · lichtenn · lichtne · lichtten
  • Lichtesilchtes · lcihtes · licchtes · lichets · lichhtes · lichtess · lichtse · lichttes

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "Lichten" for "Lichtes" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([ˈlɪçtn̩] versus [ˈlɪçtəs]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Lichten" or "Lichtes"?
"Lichten" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #28,291 in our German list, against #34,784 for "Lichtes". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Lichten" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Lichtes" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #689,771 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Lichten" and "Lichtes" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Lichtern vs Lichtes". 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 #689,771 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list