lebevslexWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: lebe is a verb, lex is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“lebe” is a verb and “lex” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#2,905
“lebe” frequency rank
#12,961
“lex” frequency rank
15866
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature lebe lex
Definition 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs leben das Recht, das Gesetz, die Gesetzessammlung

Where the spellings diverge

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

4 ch
lebe
3 ch
lex

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

lebe and lex form a confusable pair in the German index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 1 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 15866, 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]. lex is at rank #12,961, tagged as anoun.

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 15866, this pair ranks #1,940,516 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Frequency comparison

lebe#2,905
lex#12,961

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "lebe" and "lex" be used interchangeably?
No, "lebe" and "lex" have distinct meanings and cannot be swapped without changing the meaning of a sentence. Understanding the specific definition and context for each word is essential for correct usage.

Remembering lebe vs lex

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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