lohvslöstWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#44,776
“loh” frequency rank
#3,389
“löst” frequency rank
48165
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature loh löst
Definition 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs lohen 2. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs lösen

Where the eye mixes loh and löst

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence. loh runs 3 letters (CVC) against löst's 4 (CVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

3 ch
loh
4 ch
löst

Why the eye confuses loh with löst

A purely visual mix-up. loh ([loː]) and löst ([løːst]) 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 48165, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

loh is recorded at frequency rank #44,776, classified as averb, pronounced [loː]. löst is at rank #3,389, tagged as averb, pronounced [løːst].

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 48165, this pair ranks #1,258,457 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of loh vs löst

Shared letters: l. Private to "loh": ho. Private to "löst": stö.

"loh" · 3 letters · shape CVC  ·  "löst" · 4 letters · shape CVCC

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "loh" and "löst" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([loː] versus [løːst]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "loh" vs "löst" - which ranks higher?
"löst" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,389 in our German list, against #44,776 for "loh". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

After this comparison

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "loh" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "löst" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,258,457 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "loh" and "löst" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "loh vs Lori". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #1,258,457 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