Which to use
“leak” and “lest” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #38,874
- “leak” frequency rank
- #18,316
- “lest” frequency rank
- 57190
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | leak | lest |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs leaken | 2. Person Plural Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs lesen |
Where the eye mixes leak and lest
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. leak ([liːk]) and lest ([leːst]) 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 57190, 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]. lest is at rank #18,316, tagged as averb, pronounced [leːst].
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 57190, this pair ranks #910,999 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of leak vs lest
Shared letters: el. Private to "leak": ak. Private to "lest": st.
"leak" · 4 letters · shape CVVC · "lest" · 4 letters · shape CVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "leak" and "lest" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "leak" or "lest"?
What to do next
You've compared "leak" and "lest". Here's where to go from here.
- Full dictionary entry for "leak" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "lest" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #910,999 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "leak" and "lest" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "leak 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
PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.