Which to use
“layer” is a noun and “leer” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #31,150
- “layer” frequency rank
- #2,116
- “leer” frequency rank
- 33266
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | layer | leer |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Schicht | (fast) ohne (physischen) Inhalt |
Letter map: layer vs leer
Shared letters muted; letters that set layer and leer apart highlighted. Shared run: 3.
Part-of-speech tell for layer / leer
Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: layer is anoun and leeranadjective. On the page they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 33266, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
layer is recorded at frequency rank #31,150, classified as anoun, pronounced […]. leer is at rank #2,116, tagged as anadj, pronounced [leːɐ̯].
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 33266, this pair ranks #1,689,717 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of layer vs leer
Shared letters: elr. Private to "layer": ay. Private to "leer": -.
"layer" · 5 letters · shape CVVVC · "leer" · 4 letters · shape CVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "layer" and "leer" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "layer" or "leer"?
What to do next
Pair "layer" vs "leer" is on the table, pick a follow-up below.
- Full dictionary entry for "layer" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "leer" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,689,717 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "layer" and "leer" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "layer vs puzzles". 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 #1,689,717 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.