lässtvslebstWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“lässt” and “lebst” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#318
“lässt” frequency rank
#9,057
“lebst” frequency rank
9375
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature lässt lebst
Definition 2. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs lassen 2. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs leben

Where the eye mixes lässt and lebst

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.

5 ch
lässt
5 ch
lebst

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. lässt ([lɛst]) and lebst ([leːpst]) 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 9375, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

lässt is recorded at frequency rank #318, classified as averb, pronounced [lɛst]. 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 9375, this pair ranks #1,980,248 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of lässt vs lebst

Shared letters: lst. Private to "lässt": ä. Private to "lebst": be.

"lässt" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC  ·  "lebst" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • lebstelbst · lbest · lebbst · lebsst · lebstt · lebts · lesbt · llebst

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "lässt" and "lebst" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([lɛst] versus [leːpst]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "lässt" or "lebst"?
"lässt" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #318 in our German list, against #9,057 for "lebst". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list