LöchernvslockertWhich spelling fits?

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

Which to use

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

#18,323
“Löchern” frequency rank
#42,658
“lockert” frequency rank
60981
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Löchern lockert
Definition Dativ Plural des Substantivs Loch 2. Person Plural Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs lockern

Where the eye mixes Löchern and lockert

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.

7 ch
Löchern
7 ch
lockert

Look-alike desk: Löchern vs lockert

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Löchern is [ˈlœçɐn] while lockert is [ˈlɔkɐt]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 3 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 60981, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Löchern is recorded at frequency rank #18,323, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈlœçɐn]. lockert is at rank #42,658, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈlɔkɐt].

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 60981, this pair ranks #766,719 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Löchern vs lockert

Shared letters: celr. Private to "Löchern": hnö. Private to "lockert": kot.

"Löchern" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC  ·  "lockert" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • lockertlcokert · llockert · locckert · locekrt · lockerrt · lockertt · locketr · lockkert

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Löchern" and "lockert" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "Löchern" is a noun and "lockert" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Frequency check: "Löchern" vs "lockert" - which ranks higher?
"Löchern" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #18,323 in our German list, against #42,658 for "lockert". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Eye-level mix-up between "Löchern" and "lockert" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Löchern" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "lockert" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #766,719 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Löchern" and "lockert" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "lackiert vs lockert". 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 #766,719 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