lächeln
[ˈlɛçl̩n]
The verdict
“lächeln” is a regularly-used German word, ranked #2,734 in German word frequency and used as a verb.
- #2,734
- frequency rank, German
- 7
- letters
- 11
- tracked misspellings
- 10
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - die Mundwinkel nach oben zu einem Grinsen ziehen und dabei (oft oder selten, je nach Person) den Mund leicht öffnen, wodurch man die Zähne sehen kann
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | lächeln |
| Language | German |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | [ˈlɛçl̩n] |
| Letters | 7 |
| Frequency rank | #2,734 |
| Misspellings tracked | 11 |
| Confusable pairs | 10 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “lächeln” sits in German frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The German entry for lächeln is 7 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [ˈlɛçl̩n]. Corpus data places it at rank #2,734 in overall German word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "die Mundwinkel nach oben zu einem Grinsen ziehen und dabei (oft oder selten, je nach Person) den Mund leicht öffnen, wodurch man die Zähne sehen kann".
Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for lächeln, with forms such as "lcäheln", "llächeln", and "läccheln". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 10 confusable-pair relationships, "lachen", "lichen", "lächle", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.
This entry carries no recorded etymology, so any spelling logic here comes from how the word's sounds map to letters, not a documented origin story. The correct German form is lächeln, spelled L-Ä-C-H-E-L-N.
Definition
- 1die Mundwinkel nach oben zu einem Grinsen ziehen und dabei (oft oder selten, je nach Person) den Mund leicht öffnen, wodurch man die Zähne sehen kann
Antonyms
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: lcäheln,llächeln,läccheln,läcehln,lächelln,lächelnn,lächenl,lächheln,lächlen,lähceln,älcheln
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of lächeln - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 German corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you spell "lächeln"?
What does "lächeln" mean?
What words are commonly confused with "lächeln"?
How do you pronounce "lächeln"?
What language does "lächeln" come from?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “lächeln”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct German spelling is L-Ä-C-H-E-L-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as [ˈlɛçl̩n] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “lachen” - see the side-by-side comparison. lächeln vs lachen
- Browse more German words and confusable pairs in the same reference. German words
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.