löstvslügstWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#3,389
“löst” frequency rank
#36,489
“lügst” frequency rank
39878
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature löst lügst
Definition 2. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs lösen 2. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs lügen

Where the eye mixes löst and lügst

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. löst runs 4 letters (CVCC) against lügst's 5 (CVCCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

4 ch
löst
5 ch
lügst

Look-alike desk: löst vs lügst

A purely visual mix-up. löst ([løːst]) and lügst ([lyːkst]) 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 39878, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

löst is recorded at frequency rank #3,389, classified as averb, pronounced [løːst]. lügst is at rank #36,489, tagged as averb, pronounced [lyːkst].

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 39878, this pair ranks #1,524,339 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of löst vs lügst

Shared letters: lst. Private to "löst": ö. Private to "lügst": gü.

"löst" · 4 letters · shape CVCC  ·  "lügst" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "löst" and "lügst" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([løːst] versus [lyːkst]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "löst" or "lügst"?
"löst" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,389 in our German list, against #36,489 for "lügst". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

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 "löst" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "lügst" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,524,339 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "löst" and "lügst" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "lädst vs lügst". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #1,524,339 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