Which to use
“lebte” and “lese” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #3,756
- “lebte” frequency rank
- #2,907
- “lese” frequency rank
- 6663
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | lebte | lese |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs leben | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs lesen |
Where the eye mixes lebte and lese
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses lebte with lese
A purely visual mix-up. lebte ([ˈleːptə]) and lese ([ˈleːzə]) 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 6663, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
lebte is recorded at frequency rank #3,756, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈleːptə]. lese is at rank #2,907, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈleːzə].
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 6663, this pair ranks #1,990,863 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of lebte vs lese
Shared letters: el. Private to "lebte": bt. Private to "lese": s.
"lebte" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV · "lese" · 4 letters · shape CVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "lebte" for "lese" ever safe?
Frequency check: "lebte" vs "lese" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "lebte" and "lese" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "lebte" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "lese" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,990,863 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "lebte" and "lese" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "lame vs lese". 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 #1,990,863 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.