lockerenvslockertTell them apart

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

Which to use

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

#19,989
“lockeren” frequency rank
#42,658
“lockert” frequency rank
62647
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature lockeren lockert
Definition Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs locker 2. Person Plural Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs lockern

Where the eye mixes lockeren and lockert

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. lockeren runs 8 letters (CVCCVCVC) against lockert's 7 (CVCCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

8 ch
lockeren
7 ch
lockert

Why the eye confuses lockeren with lockert

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: lockeren is [ˈlɔkəʁən] while lockert is [ˈlɔkɐt]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 62647, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

lockeren is recorded at frequency rank #19,989, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈlɔkəʁən]. 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 62647, this pair ranks #705,198 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of lockeren vs lockert

Shared letters: ceklor. Private to "lockeren": n. Private to "lockert": t.

"lockeren" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC  ·  "lockert" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • lockeren ← lcokeren · llockeren · locckeren · locekren · lockeern · lockerenn · lockerne · lockerren
  • lockert ← lcokert · llockert · locckert · locekrt · lockerrt · lockertt · locketr · lockkert

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "lockeren" and "lockert" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "lockeren" is an adjective and "lockert" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Frequency check: "lockeren" vs "lockert" - which ranks higher?
"lockeren" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #19,989 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

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

  • Full dictionary entry for "lockeren" 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 #705,198 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "lockeren" 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 #705,198 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