Which to use
“lach” and “leih” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #13,884
- “lach” frequency rank
- #40,670
- “leih” frequency rank
- 54554
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | lach | leih |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs lachen | 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs leihen |
Where the eye mixes lach and leih
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between lach and leih
A purely visual mix-up. lach ([lax]) and leih ([laɪ̯]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 54554, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
lach is recorded at frequency rank #13,884, classified as averb, pronounced [lax]. leih is at rank #40,670, tagged as averb, pronounced [laɪ̯].
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 54554, this pair ranks #1,014,354 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of lach vs leih
Shared letters: hl. Private to "lach": ac. Private to "leih": ei.
"lach" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "leih" · 4 letters · shape CVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "lach" for "leih" ever safe?
Frequency check: "lach" vs "leih" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "lach" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "leih" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,014,354 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "lach" and "leih" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Lees vs leih". 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 #1,014,354 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.