Which to use
“Last” is a noun and “lese” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #2,904
- “Last” frequency rank
- #2,907
- “lese” frequency rank
- 5811
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Last | lese |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | etwas, was sich durch sein Gewicht nach unten drückt oder zieht; auch Ladung, Fracht; was man trägt | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs lesen |
Where the eye mixes Last and lese
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses Last with lese
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Last is [last] while lese is [ˈleːzə]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 5811, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Last is recorded at frequency rank #2,904, classified as anoun, pronounced [last]. lese is at rank #2,907, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈleːzə].
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 5811, this pair ranks #1,993,659 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Last vs lese
Shared letters: ls. Private to "Last": at. Private to "lese": e.
"Last" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "lese" · 4 letters · shape CVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Last" for "lese" ever safe?
Which is more common, "Last" or "lese"?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "Last" and "lese" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "Last" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "lese" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,993,659 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Last" and "lese" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "lähmt vs Last". 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 #1,993,659 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.