loslassenvsloszulassenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#13,890
“loslassen” frequency rank
#35,897
“loszulassen” frequency rank
49787
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature loslassen loszulassen
Definition den Griff um etwas lösen, etwas nicht mehr festhalten erweiterter Infinitiv Aktiv des Verbs loslassen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set loslassen and loszulassen apart are highlighted. They share 9 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

9 ch
loslassen
11 ch
loszulassen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. loslassen ([ˈloːsˌlasn̩]) and loszulassen ([ˈloːst͡suˌlasn̩]) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 49787, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

loslassen is recorded at frequency rank #13,890, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈloːsˌlasn̩]. loszulassen is at rank #35,897, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈloːst͡suˌlasn̩].

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 49787, this pair ranks #1,198,420 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of loslassen vs loszulassen

Shared letters: aelnos. Private to "loslassen": -. Private to "loszulassen": uz.

"loslassen" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC  ·  "loszulassen" · 11 letters · shape CVCCVCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • loslassenlloslassen · lolsassen · losalssen · loslasen · loslasesn · loslassenn · loslassne · loslaßen
  • loszulassenlloszulassen · losszulassen · losuzlassen · loszluassen · loszualssen · loszulasen · loszulasesn · loszulassenn

Frequency comparison

loslassen#13,890
loszulassen#35,897

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "loslassen" and "loszulassen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈloːsˌlasn̩] versus [ˈloːst͡suˌlasn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "loslassen" or "loszulassen"?
"loslassen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #13,890 in our German list, against #35,897 for "loszulassen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering loslassen vs loszulassen

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 “loslassen” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list