lebenswertvslesenswertConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#30,174
“lebenswert” frequency rank
#23,218
“lesenswert” frequency rank
53392
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature lebenswert lesenswert
Definition es wert sein, gelebt zu werden wert, gelesen zu werden

Where the eye mixes lebenswert and lesenswert

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence. lebenswert and lesenswert follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCVCCCVCC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.

10 ch
lebenswert
10 ch
lesenswert

Look-alike desk: lebenswert vs lesenswert

A purely visual mix-up. lebenswert ([ˈleːbn̩sˌveːɐ̯t]) and lesenswert ([ˈleːzn̩sˌveːɐ̯t]) 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 a single letter - b in “lebenswert” becomes s in “lesenswert”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 53392, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

lebenswert is recorded at frequency rank #30,174, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈleːbn̩sˌveːɐ̯t]. lesenswert is at rank #23,218, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈleːzn̩sˌveːɐ̯t].

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 53392, this pair ranks #1,059,806 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of lebenswert vs lesenswert

Shared letters: elnrstw. Private to "lebenswert": b. Private to "lesenswert": -.

"lebenswert" · 10 letters · shape CVCVCCCVCC  ·  "lesenswert" · 10 letters · shape CVCVCCCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • lebenswert ← elbenswert · lbeenswert · lebbenswert · lebennswert · lebensewrt · lebensswert · lebenswerrt · lebenswertt
  • lesenswert ← elsenswert · leesnswert · lesennswert · lesensewrt · lesensswert · lesenswerrt · lesenswertt · lesenswetr

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "lebenswert" and "lesenswert" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈleːbn̩sˌveːɐ̯t] versus [ˈleːzn̩sˌveːɐ̯t]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "lebenswert" or "lesenswert"?
"lesenswert" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #23,218 in our German list, against #30,174 for "lebenswert". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "lebenswert" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "lesenswert" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,059,806 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "lebenswert" and "lesenswert" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "lebenswert vs liebenswerte". 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 #1,059,806 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