Which to use
“least” and “liest” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #21,333
- “least” frequency rank
- #2,307
- “liest” frequency rank
- 23640
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | least | liest |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 2. Person Plural Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs leasen | 2. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs lesen |
Same sound, different letters: least vs liest
Muted letters are shared; highlighted letters are the only spelling cue when pronunciation matches. Shared run: 4 letters.
Homophone desk: least vs liest
This is the hard kind. least and liest are pronounced identically ([liːst]) and both work as averb. Neither the ear nor the grammar will rescue you; only the meaning does, so the glosses below are the whole decision. They share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 23640, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
least is recorded at frequency rank #21,333, classified as averb, pronounced [liːst]. liest is at rank #2,307, tagged as averb, pronounced [liːst].
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 23640, this pair ranks #1,858,598 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of least vs liest
Shared letters: elst. Private to "least": a. Private to "liest": i.
"least" · 5 letters · shape CVVCC · "liest" · 5 letters · shape CVVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "least" for "liest" ever safe?
Frequency check: "least" vs "liest" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
You've separated the homophone pair "least" / "liest". Follow the links when you need the full entry or a neighbour that trips the same ear.
- Full dictionary entry for "least" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "liest" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,858,598 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "least" and "liest" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "least 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
Confusion rank #1,858,598 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.