leavevsLemkeWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: leave is a verb, Lemke is a name, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“leave” is a verb and “Lemke” is a name - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#25,643
“leave” frequency rank
#35,888
“Lemke” frequency rank
61531
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature leave Lemke
Definition von einem Ort weggehen; verlassen deutschsprachiger Nachname, Familienname

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set leave and Lemke apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
leave
5 ch
Lemke

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: leave is averb and Lemkeaname. On the page they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 61531, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

leave is recorded at frequency rank #25,643, classified as averb, pronounced [liːv]. Lemke is at rank #35,888, tagged as aname, pronounced […].

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 61531, this pair ranks #746,270 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of leave vs Lemke

Shared letters: el. Private to "leave": av. Private to "Lemke": km.

"leave" · 5 letters · shape CVVCV  ·  "Lemke" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • leaveelave · laeve · leaev · leavve · levae · lleave
  • Lemkeelmke · lekme · lemek · lemkke · lemmke · llemke · lmeke

Frequency comparison

leave#25,643
Lemke#35,888

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "leave" and "Lemke" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "leave" is a verb and "Lemke" a name, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "leave" or "Lemke"?
"leave" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #25,643 in our German list, against #35,888 for "Lemke". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering leave vs Lemke

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “leave”; for a name, it's “Lemke”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “leave” 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