leakvslegtWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#38,874
“leak” frequency rank
#1,604
“legt” frequency rank
40478
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature leak legt
Definition 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs leaken 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs legen

Where the spellings diverge

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

4 ch
leak
4 ch
legt

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. leak ([liːk]) and legt ([leːkt]) 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 40478, 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]. legt is at rank #1,604, tagged as averb, pronounced [leːkt].

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 40478, this pair ranks #1,507,312 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of leak vs legt

Shared letters: el. Private to "leak": ak. Private to "legt": gt.

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

Known mistypes of this pair

  • leakelak · leakk · leka · lleak
  • legtelgt · leggt · legtt · letg · lget · llegt

Frequency comparison

leak#38,874
legt#1,604

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "leak" and "legt" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([liːk] versus [leːkt]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "leak" or "legt"?
"legt" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,604 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 legt

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