löschen vs löschte, What's the Difference?

Which to use

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

#3,388
“löschen” frequency rank: #37,661
“löschte” frequency rank: 41049
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	löschen	löschte
Definition	ein Feuer vernichten	1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs löschen

Where the spellings diverge

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

7 ch

löschen

7 ch

löschte

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. löschen ([ˈlœʃn̩]) 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 share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 41049, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

löschen is recorded at frequency rank #3,388, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈlœʃn̩]. 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 41049, this pair ranks #1,490,819 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of löschen vs löschte

Shared letters: cehlsö. Private to "löschen": n. Private to "löschte": t.

"löschen" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC · "löschte" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCCV

Frequency comparison

löschen#3,388

löschte#37,661

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

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

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

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

"löschen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,388 in our German list, against #37,661 for "löschte". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering löschen 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 “löschen” entry
Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable