Which to use
“leer” is an adjective and “Leid” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #2,116
- “leer” frequency rank
- #1,263
- “Leid” frequency rank
- 3379
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | leer | Leid |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | (fast) ohne (physischen) Inhalt | starker Kummer, starker psychischer oder seelischer Schmerz |
Where the eye mixes leer and Leid
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses leer with Leid
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: leer is [leːɐ̯] while Leid is [laɪ̯t]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 3379, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
leer is recorded at frequency rank #2,116, classified as anadj, pronounced [leːɐ̯]. Leid is at rank #1,263, tagged as anoun, pronounced [laɪ̯t].
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 3379, this pair ranks #2,000,343 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of leer vs Leid
Shared letters: el. Private to "leer": r. Private to "Leid": di.
"leer" · 4 letters · shape CVVC · "Leid" · 4 letters · shape CVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "leer" and "Leid" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "leer" vs "Leid" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "leer" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Leid" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #2,000,343 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "leer" and "Leid" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "leer vs Lees". 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 #2,000,343 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.