Which to use
“lack” and “leak” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #12,118
- “lack” frequency rank
- #38,874
- “leak” frequency rank
- 50992
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | lack | leak |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs lacken | 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs leaken |
Where the eye mixes lack and leak
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: lack vs leak
A purely visual mix-up. lack ([lak]) and leak ([liːk]) 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 50992, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
lack is recorded at frequency rank #12,118, classified as averb, pronounced [lak]. leak is at rank #38,874, tagged as averb, pronounced [liːk].
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 50992, this pair ranks #1,152,624 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of lack vs leak
Shared letters: akl. Private to "lack": c. Private to "leak": e.
"lack" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "leak" · 4 letters · shape CVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "lack" and "leak" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "lack" or "leak"?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "lack" and "leak" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "lack" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "leak" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,152,624 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "lack" and "leak" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "leak vs Lees". 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 #1,152,624 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.