Which to use
“leak” is a verb and “leer” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #38,874
- “leak” frequency rank
- #2,116
- “leer” frequency rank
- 40990
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | leak | leer |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs leaken | (fast) ohne (physischen) Inhalt |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set leak and leer apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: leak is [liːk] while leer is [leːɐ̯]. 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 (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 40990, 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]. 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 40990, this pair ranks #1,492,450 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of leak vs leer
Shared letters: el. Private to "leak": ak. Private to "leer": r.
"leak" · 4 letters · shape CVVC · "leer" · 4 letters · shape CVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "leak" and "leer" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "leak" or "leer"?
Remembering leak vs leer
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “leak”; for an adjective, it's “leer”.
- 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