Which to use
“bleiben” and “blieben” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #376
- “bleiben” frequency rank
- #2,757
- “blieben” frequency rank
- 3133
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | bleiben | blieben |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | einen Ort beibehalten | 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs bleiben |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set bleiben and blieben apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. bleiben ([ˈblaɪ̯bn̩]) and blieben ([ˈbliːbn̩]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ only by swapping two adjacent letters (ei ↔ ie) - a transposition the eye reads straight past. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 3133, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
bleiben is recorded at frequency rank #376, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈblaɪ̯bn̩]. blieben is at rank #2,757, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈbliːbn̩].
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 3133, this pair ranks #2,000,869 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of bleiben vs blieben
Shared letters: beiln. Private to "bleiben": -. Private to "blieben": -.
"bleiben" · 7 letters · shape CCVVCVC · "blieben" · 7 letters · shape CCVVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "bleiben" and "blieben" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "bleiben" or "blieben"?
Remembering bleiben vs blieben
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “bleiben” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable