Which to use
“löschen” and “lösten” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #3,388
- “löschen” frequency rank
- #18,977
- “lösten” frequency rank
- 22365
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | löschen | lösten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | ein Feuer vernichten | 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs lösen |
Where the eye mixes löschen and lösten
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. löschen runs 7 letters (CVCCCVC) against lösten's 6 (CVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses löschen with lösten
A purely visual mix-up. löschen ([ˈlœʃn̩]) and lösten ([ˈløːstn̩]) 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 22365, 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]. lösten is at rank #18,977, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈløːstn̩].
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 22365, this pair ranks #1,875,074 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of löschen vs lösten
Shared letters: elnsö. Private to "löschen": ch. Private to "lösten": t.
"löschen" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC · "lösten" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "löschen" and "lösten" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "löschen" or "lösten"?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "löschen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "lösten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,875,074 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "löschen" and "lösten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Loses vs lösten". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,875,074 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.