löschtvslöschteConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#15,940
“löscht” frequency rank
#37,661
“löschte” frequency rank
53601
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature löscht löschte
Definition 2. Person Plural Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs löschen 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs löschen

Where the eye mixes löscht and löschte

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.

6 ch
löscht
7 ch
löschte

Look-alike desk: löscht vs löschte

A purely visual mix-up. löscht ([lœʃt]) 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 extra letter(s) - “löscht” sits inside “löschte”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 53601, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

löscht is recorded at frequency rank #15,940, classified as averb, pronounced [lœʃt]. 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 53601, this pair ranks #1,051,604 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of löscht vs löschte

Shared letters: chlstö. Private to "löscht": -. Private to "löschte": e.

"löscht" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCC  ·  "löschte" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCCV

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "löscht" and "löschte" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([lœʃt] versus [ˈlœʃtə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "löscht" vs "löschte" - which ranks higher?
"löscht" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #15,940 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.

Useful next steps

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "löscht" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "löschte" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,051,604 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "löscht" and "löschte" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "lauschte vs löschte". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #1,051,604 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list