labsvslebstWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: labs is a noun, lebst is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“labs” is a noun and “lebst” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#33,163
“labs” frequency rank
#9,057
“lebst” frequency rank
42220
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature labs lebst
Definition Plural des Substantivs lab 2. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs leben

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set labs and lebst apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
labs
5 ch
lebst

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: labs is anoun and lebstaverb. On the page they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 42220, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

labs is recorded at frequency rank #33,163, classified as anoun, pronounced […]. lebst is at rank #9,057, tagged as averb, pronounced [leːpst].

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 42220, this pair ranks #1,456,039 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of labs vs lebst

Shared letters: bls. Private to "labs": a. Private to "lebst": et.

"labs" · 4 letters · shape CVCC  ·  "lebst" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • labsalbs · labbs · labss · lasb · llabs
  • lebstelbst · lbest · lebbst · lebsst · lebstt · lebts · lesbt · llebst

Frequency comparison

labs#33,163
lebst#9,057

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "labs" and "lebst" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "labs" is a noun and "lebst" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "labs" or "lebst"?
"lebst" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #9,057 in our German list, against #33,163 for "labs". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering labs vs lebst

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “labs”; for a verb, it's “lebst”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “labs” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list