lebtevsletWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#3,756
“lebte” frequency rank
#11,088
“let” frequency rank
14844
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature lebte let
Definition 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs leben lassen

Where the eye mixes lebte and let

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.

5 ch
lebte
3 ch
let

Why the eye confuses lebte with let

A purely visual mix-up. lebte ([ˈleːptə]) and let ([lɛt]) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 14844, 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]. let is at rank #11,088, tagged as averb, pronounced [lɛt].

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 14844, this pair ranks #1,948,310 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of lebte vs let

Shared letters: elt. Private to "lebte": b. Private to "let": -.

"lebte" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV  ·  "let" · 3 letters · shape CVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • lebteelbte · lbete · lebbte · lebet · lebtte · letbe · llebte

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "lebte" and "let" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈleːptə] versus [lɛt]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "lebte" or "let"?
"lebte" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,756 in our German list, against #11,088 for "let". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "lebte" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "let" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,948,310 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "lebte" and "let" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Lees vs let". 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 #1,948,310 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