Which to use
“lebten” and “leeren” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #5,863
- “lebten” frequency rank
- #5,198
- “leeren” frequency rank
- 11061
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | lebten | leeren |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs leben | den Inhalt verbrauchen oder entfernen |
Where the eye mixes lebten and leeren
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses lebten with leeren
A purely visual mix-up. lebten ([ˈleːptn̩]) and leeren ([ˈleːʁən]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 11061, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
lebten is recorded at frequency rank #5,863, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈleːptn̩]. leeren is at rank #5,198, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈleːʁən].
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 11061, this pair ranks #1,971,876 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of lebten vs leeren
Shared letters: eln. Private to "lebten": bt. Private to "leeren": r.
"lebten" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "leeren" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "lebten" and "leeren" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "lebten" or "leeren"?
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 "lebten" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "leeren" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,971,876 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "lebten" and "leeren" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "lebten vs lenzen". 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 #1,971,876 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.