lösche vs löschen, What's the Difference?

Which to use

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

#25,654
“lösche” frequency rank: #3,388
“löschen” frequency rank: 29042
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	lösche	löschen
Definition	1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs löschen	ein Feuer vernichten

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set lösche and löschen apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch

lösche

7 ch

löschen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. lösche ([ˈlœʃə]) 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 extra letter(s) - “lösche” sits inside “löschen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 29042, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

lösche is recorded at frequency rank #25,654, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈlœʃə]. 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 29042, this pair ranks #1,774,098 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of lösche vs löschen

Shared letters: cehlsö. Private to "lösche": -. Private to "löschen": n.

"lösche" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCV · "löschen" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC

Frequency comparison

lösche#25,654

löschen#3,388

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "lösche" and "löschen" be used interchangeably?

No. They are said differently ([ˈlœʃə] versus [ˈlœʃn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.

Which is more common, "lösche" or "löschen"?

"löschen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,388 in our German list, against #25,654 for "lösche". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering lösche vs löschen

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “lösche” entry
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