Which to use
“lebe” and “lerne” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,905
- “lebe” frequency rank
- #6,215
- “lerne” frequency rank
- 9120
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | lebe | lerne |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs leben | 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs lernen |
Where the eye mixes lebe and lerne
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. lebe runs 4 letters (CVCV) against lerne's 5 (CVCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses lebe with lerne
A purely visual mix-up. lebe ([ˈleːbə]) and lerne ([ˈlɛʁnə]) 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 9120, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
lebe is recorded at frequency rank #2,905, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈleːbə]. lerne is at rank #6,215, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈlɛʁnə].
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 9120, this pair ranks #1,981,386 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of lebe vs lerne
Shared letters: el. Private to "lebe": b. Private to "lerne": nr.
"lebe" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "lerne" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "lebe" and "lerne" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "lebe" or "lerne"?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "lebe" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "lerne" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,981,386 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "lebe" and "lerne" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Lerche vs lerne". 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 #1,981,386 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.