Which to use
“lead” and “Lied” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #22,808
- “lead” frequency rank
- #1,606
- “Lied” frequency rank
- 24414
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | lead | Lied |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Blei | gesungenes Musikstück |
Where the eye mixes lead and Lied
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: lead vs Lied
A purely visual mix-up. lead ([lɛd]) and Lied ([liːt]) 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 24414, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
lead is recorded at frequency rank #22,808, classified as anoun, pronounced [lɛd]. Lied is at rank #1,606, tagged as anoun, pronounced [liːt].
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 24414, this pair ranks #1,847,991 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of lead vs Lied
Shared letters: del. Private to "lead": a. Private to "Lied": i.
"lead" · 4 letters · shape CVVC · "Lied" · 4 letters · shape CVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "lead" for "Lied" ever safe?
Which is more common, "lead" or "Lied"?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "lead" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Lied" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,847,991 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "lead" and "Lied" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "lead vs Lees". 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 #1,847,991 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.