lässtvsliestWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#318
“lässt” frequency rank
#2,307
“liest” frequency rank
2625
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature lässt liest
Definition 2. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs lassen 2. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs lesen

Where the eye mixes lässt and liest

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

5 ch
lässt
5 ch
liest

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. lässt ([lɛst]) and liest ([liːst]) 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 2625, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

lässt is recorded at frequency rank #318, classified as averb, pronounced [lɛst]. liest is at rank #2,307, tagged as averb, pronounced [liːst].

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 2625, this pair ranks #2,001,935 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of lässt vs liest

Shared letters: lst. Private to "lässt": ä. Private to "liest": ei.

"lässt" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC  ·  "liest" · 5 letters · shape CVVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • liestilest · leist · liesst · liestt · liets · lliest

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "lässt" and "liest" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([lɛst] versus [liːst]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "lässt" or "liest"?
"lässt" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #318 in our German list, against #2,307 for "liest". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list