Which to use
“lösten” is a verb and “Lüften” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #18,977
- “lösten” frequency rank
- #17,355
- “Lüften” frequency rank
- 36332
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | lösten | Lüften |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs lösen | Aussetzung der frischen Luft |
Where the eye mixes lösten and Lüften
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: lösten vs Lüften
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: lösten is [ˈløːstn̩] while Lüften is [ˈlʏftn̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 36332, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
lösten is recorded at frequency rank #18,977, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈløːstn̩]. Lüften is at rank #17,355, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈlʏftn̩].
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 36332, this pair ranks #1,618,248 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of lösten vs Lüften
Shared letters: elnt. Private to "lösten": sö. Private to "Lüften": fü.
"lösten" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "Lüften" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "lösten" and "Lüften" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "lösten" or "Lüften"?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "lösten" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Lüften" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,618,248 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "lösten" and "Lüften" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Loses vs lösten". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,618,248 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.