Which to use
“legten” and “lenzen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #8,746
- “legten” frequency rank
- #49,051
- “lenzen” frequency rank
- 57797
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | legten | lenzen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs legen | Wasser aus einem Boots- oder Schiffskörper entfernen |
Where the eye mixes legten and lenzen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. legten and lenzen follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Look-alike desk: legten vs lenzen
A purely visual mix-up. legten ([ˈleːktn̩]) and lenzen ([ˈlɛnt͡sn̩]) 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 57797, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
legten is recorded at frequency rank #8,746, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈleːktn̩]. lenzen is at rank #49,051, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈlɛnt͡sn̩].
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 57797, this pair ranks #887,412 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of legten vs lenzen
Shared letters: eln. Private to "legten": gt. Private to "lenzen": z.
"legten" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "lenzen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "legten" and "lenzen" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "legten" or "lenzen" show up more?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "legten" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "lenzen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #887,412 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "legten" and "lenzen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "lenzen vs letten". 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 #887,412 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.