LebensvsLeberConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#1,135
“Lebens” frequency rank
#7,785
“Leber” frequency rank
8920
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Lebens Leber
Definition Genitiv Singular des Substantivs Leben für den Stoffwechsel wichtigstes, inneres Organ von Tier und Mensch

Where the eye mixes Lebens and Leber

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.

6 ch
Lebens
5 ch
Leber

Look-alike desk: Lebens vs Leber

A purely visual mix-up. Lebens ([ˈleːbn̩s]) and Leber ([ˈleːbɐ]) 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 8920, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Lebens is recorded at frequency rank #1,135, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈleːbn̩s]. Leber is at rank #7,785, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈleːbɐ].

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 8920, this pair ranks #1,982,225 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Lebens vs Leber

Shared letters: bel. Private to "Lebens": ns. Private to "Leber": r.

"Lebens" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCC  ·  "Leber" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Lebenselbens · lbeens · lebbens · lebenns · lebenss · lebesn · lebnes · leebns
  • Leberelber · lbeer · lebber · leberr · lebre · leebr · lleber

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "Lebens" for "Leber" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([ˈleːbn̩s] versus [ˈleːbɐ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "Lebens" vs "Leber" - which ranks higher?
"Lebens" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,135 in our German list, against #7,785 for "Leber". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

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 "Lebens" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Leber" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,982,225 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Lebens" and "Leber" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Leber vs Lees". 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 #1,982,225 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list