Which to use
“loose” is an adjective and “löste” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #31,162
- “loose” frequency rank
- #6,693
- “löste” frequency rank
- 37855
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | loose | löste |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | etwas ist locker, nicht fest | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs lösen |
Where the eye mixes loose and löste
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: loose vs löste
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: loose is [luːs] while löste is [ˈløːstə]. 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 (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 37855, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
loose is recorded at frequency rank #31,162, classified as anadj, pronounced [luːs]. löste is at rank #6,693, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈløːstə].
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 37855, this pair ranks #1,579,297 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of loose vs löste
Shared letters: els. Private to "loose": o. Private to "löste": tö.
"loose" · 5 letters · shape CVVCV · "löste" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- loose ← lloose · looes · loosse · losoe · olose
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "loose" and "löste" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "loose" or "löste"?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "loose" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "löste" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,579,297 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "loose" and "löste" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "loose vs Loses". 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 #1,579,297 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.