Which to use
“läuten” and “lebten” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #21,685
- “läuten” frequency rank
- #5,863
- “lebten” frequency rank
- 27548
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | läuten | lebten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Geräusche durch das Bewegen einer Glocke hervorrufen | 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs leben |
Where the eye mixes läuten and lebten
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. läuten (CVVCVC) and lebten (CVCCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Visual trap between läuten and lebten
A purely visual mix-up. läuten ([ˈlɔɪ̯tn̩]) and lebten ([ˈleːptn̩]) 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 27548, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
läuten is recorded at frequency rank #21,685, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈlɔɪ̯tn̩]. lebten is at rank #5,863, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈleːptn̩].
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 27548, this pair ranks #1,799,963 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of läuten vs lebten
Shared letters: elnt. Private to "läuten": uä. Private to "lebten": b.
"läuten" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC · "lebten" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- lebten ← elbten · lbeten · lebbten · lebetn · lebtenn · lebtne · lebtten · letben
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "läuten" and "lebten" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "läuten" vs "lebten" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "läuten" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "lebten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,799,963 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "läuten" and "lebten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Laatzen vs läuten". 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 #1,799,963 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.