Which to use
“bleib” is a verb and “bleich” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #4,333
- “bleib” frequency rank
- #38,648
- “bleich” frequency rank
- 42981
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | bleib | bleich |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 2. Person Singular Präsens Imperativ Aktiv des Verbs bleiben | eine blasse oder verblasste, sehr helle, unintensive Farbe habend |
Where the eye mixes bleib and bleich
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses bleib with bleich
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: bleib is [blaɪ̯p] while bleich is [blaɪ̯ç]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 42981, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
bleib is recorded at frequency rank #4,333, classified as averb, pronounced [blaɪ̯p]. bleich is at rank #38,648, tagged as anadj, pronounced [blaɪ̯ç].
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 42981, this pair ranks #1,432,341 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of bleib vs bleich
Shared letters: beil. Private to "bleib": -. Private to "bleich": ch.
"bleib" · 5 letters · shape CCVVC · "bleich" · 6 letters · shape CCVVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "bleib" and "bleich" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "bleib" or "bleich" show up more?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "bleib" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "bleich" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,432,341 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "bleib" and "bleich" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Bleche vs bleich". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #1,432,341 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.