lasenvsLesbenWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#28,289
“lasen” frequency rank
#8,241
“Lesben” frequency rank
36530
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature lasen Lesben
Definition 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs lesen Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Lesbe

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set lasen and Lesben apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
lasen
6 ch
Lesben

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: lasen is [ˈlaːzn̩] while Lesben is [ˈlɛsbn̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 36530, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

lasen is recorded at frequency rank #28,289, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈlaːzn̩]. Lesben is at rank #8,241, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈlɛsbn̩].

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 36530, this pair ranks #1,613,287 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of lasen vs Lesben

Shared letters: elns. Private to "lasen": a. Private to "Lesben": b.

"lasen" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "Lesben" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • lasenalsen · laesn · lasenn · lasne · llasen · lsaen
  • Lesbenelsben · lebsen · lesbben · lesbenn · lesbne · lesebn · lessben · llesben

Frequency comparison

lasen#28,289
Lesben#8,241

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "lasen" and "Lesben" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "lasen" is a verb and "Lesben" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "lasen" or "Lesben"?
"Lesben" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #8,241 in our German list, against #28,289 for "lasen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering lasen vs Lesben

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “lasen”; for a noun, it's “Lesben”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “lasen” 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