lebendervslebendigWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#20,654
“lebender” frequency rank
#5,618
“lebendig” frequency rank
26272
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature lebender lebendig
Definition Nominativ Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs lebend lebend, am Leben, nicht tot

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set lebender and lebendig apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
lebender
8 ch
lebendig

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. lebender ([ˈleːbn̩dɐ]) and lebendig ([leˈbɛndɪç]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 26272, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

lebender is recorded at frequency rank #20,654, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈleːbn̩dɐ]. lebendig is at rank #5,618, tagged as anadj, pronounced [leˈbɛndɪç].

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 26272, this pair ranks #1,820,609 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of lebender vs lebendig

Shared letters: bdeln. Private to "lebender": r. Private to "lebendig": gi.

"lebender" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC  ·  "lebendig" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • lebenderelbender · lbeender · lebbender · lebedner · lebendder · lebenderr · lebendre · lebenedr
  • lebendigelbendig · lbeendig · lebbendig · lebednig · lebenddig · lebendgi · lebendigg · lebenidg

Frequency comparison

lebender#20,654
lebendig#5,618

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "lebender" and "lebendig" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈleːbn̩dɐ] versus [leˈbɛndɪç]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "lebender" or "lebendig"?
"lebendig" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,618 in our German list, against #20,654 for "lebender". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering lebender vs lebendig

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 “lebender” 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