Which to use
“Lees” and “Leier” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #49,048
- “Lees” frequency rank
- #33,168
- “Leier” frequency rank
- 82216
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Lees | Leier |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Genitiv Singular des Substantivs Lee | Saiteninstrument in der Form einer Lyra |
Where the eye mixes Lees and Leier
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. Lees runs 4 letters (CVVC) against Leier's 5 (CVVVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: Lees vs Leier
A purely visual mix-up. Lees ([leːs]) and Leier ([ˈlaɪ̯ɐ]) 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 82216, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Lees is recorded at frequency rank #49,048, classified as anoun, pronounced [leːs]. Leier is at rank #33,168, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈlaɪ̯ɐ].
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 82216, this pair ranks #161,254 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of Lees vs Leier
Shared letters: el. Private to "Lees": s. Private to "Leier": ir.
"Lees" · 4 letters · shape CVVC · "Leier" · 5 letters · shape CVVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Lees" and "Leier" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "Lees" or "Leier"?
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 "Lees" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Leier" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #161,254 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Lees" and "Leier" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Lees vs Loses". 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 #161,254 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.