leakvslebtWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#38,874
“leak” frequency rank
#1,136
“lebt” frequency rank
40010
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature leak lebt
Definition 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs leaken 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs leben

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set leak and lebt apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
leak
4 ch
lebt

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. leak ([liːk]) and lebt ([leːpt]) 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 40010, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

leak is recorded at frequency rank #38,874, classified as averb, pronounced [liːk]. lebt is at rank #1,136, tagged as averb, pronounced [leːpt].

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 40010, this pair ranks #1,520,576 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of leak vs lebt

Shared letters: el. Private to "leak": ak. Private to "lebt": bt.

"leak" · 4 letters · shape CVVC  ·  "lebt" · 4 letters · shape CVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • leakelak · leakk · leka · lleak
  • lebtelbt · lbet · lebbt · lebtt · letb · llebt

Frequency comparison

leak#38,874
lebt#1,136

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "leak" and "lebt" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([liːk] versus [leːpt]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "leak" or "lebt"?
"lebt" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,136 in our German list, against #38,874 for "leak". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering leak vs lebt

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “leak” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list