lebendvsliegendWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“lebend” and “liegend” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#14,617
“lebend” frequency rank
#13,425
“liegend” frequency rank
28042
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature lebend liegend
Definition nicht tot; am Leben; lebendig in liegendem Zustand verharrend

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set lebend and liegend apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
lebend
7 ch
liegend

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. lebend ([ˈleːbn̩t]) and liegend ([ˈliːɡn̩t]) 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 28042, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

lebend is recorded at frequency rank #14,617, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈleːbn̩t]. liegend is at rank #13,425, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈliːɡn̩t].

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 28042, this pair ranks #1,791,576 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of lebend vs liegend

Shared letters: deln. Private to "lebend": b. Private to "liegend": gi.

"lebend" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCC  ·  "liegend" · 7 letters · shape CVVCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • lebendelbend · lbeend · lebbend · lebedn · lebendd · lebennd · lebned · leebnd
  • liegendilegend · leigend · lieegnd · liegedn · liegendd · liegennd · lieggend · liegned

Frequency comparison

lebend#14,617
liegend#13,425

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "lebend" and "liegend" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈleːbn̩t] versus [ˈliːɡn̩t]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "lebend" or "liegend"?
"liegend" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #13,425 in our German list, against #14,617 for "lebend". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering lebend vs liegend

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “lebend” 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