Which to use
“labern” and “lern” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #21,674
- “labern” frequency rank
- #11,472
- “lern” frequency rank
- 33146
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | labern | lern |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | ohne Substanz und/oder unnötig lange, gewunden und umständlich, wortreich reden oder monologisieren | 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs lernen |
Where the eye mixes labern and lern
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses labern with lern
A purely visual mix-up. labern ([ˈlaːbɐn]) and lern ([lɛʁn]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 33146, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
labern is recorded at frequency rank #21,674, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈlaːbɐn]. lern is at rank #11,472, tagged as averb, pronounced [lɛʁn].
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 33146, this pair ranks #1,692,278 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of labern vs lern
Shared letters: elnr. Private to "labern": ab. Private to "lern": -.
"labern" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCC · "lern" · 4 letters · shape CVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "labern" and "lern" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "labern" or "lern"?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "labern" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "lern" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,692,278 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "labern" and "lern" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "labern vs Lasern". 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 #1,692,278 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.