Which to use
“locken” and “löschen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #6,692
- “locken” frequency rank
- #3,388
- “löschen” frequency rank
- 10080
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | locken | löschen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Locken ins Haar machen | ein Feuer vernichten |
Where the eye mixes locken and löschen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between locken and löschen
A purely visual mix-up. locken ([ˈlɔkn̩]) and löschen ([ˈlœʃn̩]) 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 10080, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
locken is recorded at frequency rank #6,692, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈlɔkn̩]. löschen is at rank #3,388, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈlœʃn̩].
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 10080, this pair ranks #1,976,891 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of locken vs löschen
Shared letters: celn. Private to "locken": ko. Private to "löschen": hsö.
"locken" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "löschen" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- locken ← lcoken · llocken · loccken · locekn · lockenn · lockken · lockne · lokcen
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "locken" and "löschen" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "locken" vs "löschen" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "locken" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "löschen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,976,891 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "locken" and "löschen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "locken vs Lotsen". 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 #1,976,891 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.