Which to use
“leer” is an adjective and “Leu” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #2,116
- “leer” frequency rank
- #42,653
- “Leu” frequency rank
- 44769
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | leer | Leu |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | (fast) ohne (physischen) Inhalt | Löwe |
Where the eye mixes leer and Leu
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence. leer runs 4 letters (CVVC) against Leu's 3 (CVV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses leer with Leu
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: leer is [leːɐ̯] while Leu is [lɔɪ̯]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 44769, 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]. Leu is at rank #42,653, tagged as anoun, pronounced [lɔɪ̯].
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 44769, this pair ranks #1,375,315 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of leer vs Leu
Shared letters: el. Private to "leer": r. Private to "Leu": u.
"leer" · 4 letters · shape CVVC · "Leu" · 3 letters · shape CVV
Known mistypes of this pair
- leer ← eler · leerr · ler · lere · lleer
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "leer" and "Leu" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "leer" vs "Leu" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "leer" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Leu" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,375,315 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "leer" and "Leu" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Lees vs Leu". 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 #1,375,315 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.