Which to use
“legt” and “leih” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,604
- “legt” frequency rank
- #40,670
- “leih” frequency rank
- 42274
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | legt | leih |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs legen | 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs leihen |
Where the eye mixes legt and leih
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence. legt (CVCC) and leih (CVVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses legt with leih
A purely visual mix-up. legt ([leːkt]) and leih ([laɪ̯]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 42274, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
legt is recorded at frequency rank #1,604, classified as averb, pronounced [leːkt]. leih is at rank #40,670, tagged as averb, pronounced [laɪ̯].
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 42274, this pair ranks #1,454,424 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of legt vs leih
Shared letters: el. Private to "legt": gt. Private to "leih": hi.
"legt" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "leih" · 4 letters · shape CVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "legt" and "leih" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "legt" or "leih" show up more?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "legt" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "leih" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,454,424 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "legt" and "leih" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Lees vs leih". 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 #1,454,424 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.