leakvslegWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#38,874
“leak” frequency rank
#7,358
“leg” frequency rank
46232
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature leak leg
Definition 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs leaken 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs legen

Where the spellings diverge

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

4 ch
leak
3 ch
leg

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. leak ([liːk]) and leg ([leːk]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 46232, 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]. leg is at rank #7,358, tagged as averb, pronounced [leːk].

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 46232, this pair ranks #1,326,155 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of leak vs leg

Shared letters: el. Private to "leak": ak. Private to "leg": g.

"leak" · 4 letters · shape CVVC  ·  "leg" · 3 letters · shape CVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • leakelak · leakk · leka · lleak

Frequency comparison

leak#38,874
leg#7,358

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "leak" and "leg" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([liːk] versus [leːk]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "leak" or "leg"?
"leg" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #7,358 in our German list, against #38,874 for "leak". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering leak vs leg

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