Which to use
“leger” is an adjective and “Leier” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #46,108
- “leger” frequency rank
- #33,168
- “Leier” frequency rank
- 79276
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | leger | Leier |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | leicht, bequem (meist in Zusammenhang mit Kleidung) | Saiteninstrument in der Form einer Lyra |
Where the eye mixes leger and Leier
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. leger (CVCVC) and Leier (CVVVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses leger with Leier
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: leger is [leˈʒɛːɐ̯] while Leier is [ˈlaɪ̯ɐ]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - g in “leger” becomes i in “Leier”, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 79276, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
leger is recorded at frequency rank #46,108, classified as anadj, pronounced [leˈʒɛːɐ̯]. 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 79276, this pair ranks #219,952 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of leger vs Leier
Shared letters: elr. Private to "leger": g. Private to "Leier": i.
"leger" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "Leier" · 5 letters · shape CVVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "leger" and "Leier" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "leger" 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 "leger" 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 #219,952 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "leger" and "Leier" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Lees vs leger". 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 #219,952 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.