Which to use
“lebte” and “lest” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #3,756
- “lebte” frequency rank
- #18,316
- “lest” frequency rank
- 22072
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | lebte | lest |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs leben | 2. Person Plural Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs lesen |
Where the eye mixes lebte and lest
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses lebte with lest
A purely visual mix-up. lebte ([ˈleːptə]) and lest ([leːst]) 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 22072, 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]. lest is at rank #18,316, tagged as averb, pronounced [leːst].
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 22072, this pair ranks #1,878,686 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of lebte vs lest
Shared letters: elt. Private to "lebte": b. Private to "lest": s.
"lebte" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV · "lest" · 4 letters · shape CVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "lebte" and "lest" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "lebte" or "lest"?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "lebte" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "lest" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,878,686 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "lebte" and "lest" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Lees vs lest". 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 #1,878,686 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.