lol
In German, lol is an expression of laughter.
In German digital communication, lol is often used as a punctuation mark to signal a lighthearted or ironic tone rather than actual laughter.
Meaning: expression of laughter (intj)
Which one should you use?
While lol is used to signal irony or tone, other informal ways to express laughter include Haha, which is a widely recognized way to express laughter and Hehe, a playful variant used to indicate giggles or chuckles.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
lol is highly informal and is used in German internet slang exactly like in English. It is commonly used among younger generations in digital communication.
Did you know?
- Using lol to respond to serious news in a German context can be perceived as much more dismissive or 'cold' than in English, due to its frequent use as a sarcastic marker.
- While lol is ubiquitous online, Germans often use haha in spoken conversation to mimic laughter, whereas lol is almost never spoken aloud unless the speaker is intentionally imitating a digital style.
- In some German online circles, using lol in all caps LOL can be interpreted as genuine shock or a louder laugh, whereas lowercase lol is often seen as dry or indifferent.
Examples in context
- Guter Plan, danke. LOL.Good plan, thanks. LOL.This example shows how to use lol at the end of a sentence.Tatoeba #13458614 by Vortarulo, translation #6586674 by Eccles17
- Lasst uns Ausrufezeichen jetzt so schreiben lol!Let's put exclamation marks this way lol!This example shows how lol can be used within a sentence.Tatoeba #10706567 by mks, translation #10706517 by AutoBot
- LOL, was?Lol, what?This example shows how lol can be used at the beginning of a sentence.Tatoeba #13551028 by Vortarulo, translation #2871142 by Hybrid
- Haha, das ist witzig!Haha, that's funny!
- Hehe, das hast du jetzt schön angestellt!Hehe, you really messed that up!
Example conversation
Laura and Lukas are texting about a funny video.
- LauraHast du das Video gesehen?Did you see the video?
- LukasJa, lol!Yes, lol!
- LauraDer Hund war echt lustig.The dog was really funny.
- LukasDas stimmt, lol.That's true, lol.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “lol” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
