lösche vs löschte, What's the Difference?

Which to use

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

#25,654
“lösche” frequency rank: #37,661
“löschte” frequency rank: 63315
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	lösche	löschte
Definition	1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs löschen	1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs löschen

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch

lösche

7 ch

löschte

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. lösche ([ˈlœʃə]) and löschte ([ˈlœʃtə]) 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 63315, 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]. löschte is at rank #37,661, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈlœʃtə].

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 63315, this pair ranks #681,125 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of lösche vs löschte

Shared letters: cehlsö. Private to "lösche": -. Private to "löschte": t.

"lösche" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCV · "löschte" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCCV

Frequency comparison

lösche#25,654

löschte#37,661

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

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

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

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

"lösche" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #25,654 in our German list, against #37,661 for "löschte". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering lösche vs löschte

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
Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable