legenvsleugnenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#1,262
“legen” frequency rank
#9,586
“leugnen” frequency rank
10848
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature legen leugnen
Definition etwas in horizontale Lage bringen oder in horizontaler Lage in eine Position bringen etwas abstreiten, das über einen geäußert wurde

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set legen and leugnen apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
legen
7 ch
leugnen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. legen ([ˈleːɡn̩]) and leugnen ([ˈlɔɪ̯ɡnən]) 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 10848, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

legen is recorded at frequency rank #1,262, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈleːɡn̩]. leugnen is at rank #9,586, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈlɔɪ̯ɡnən].

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 10848, this pair ranks #1,973,013 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of legen vs leugnen

Shared letters: egln. Private to "legen": -. Private to "leugnen": u.

"legen" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "leugnen" · 7 letters · shape CVVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • legenelgen · leegn · legenn · leggen · legne · lgeen · llegen
  • leugnenelugnen · legunen · leugenn · leuggnen · leugnenn · leugnne · leugnnen · leungen

Frequency comparison

legen#1,262
leugnen#9,586

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "legen" and "leugnen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈleːɡn̩] versus [ˈlɔɪ̯ɡnən]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "legen" or "leugnen"?
"legen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,262 in our German list, against #9,586 for "leugnen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering legen vs leugnen

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “legen” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list