Which to use
“legten” and “lügen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #8,746
- “legten” frequency rank
- #2,910
- “lügen” frequency rank
- 11656
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | legten | lügen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs legen | vorsätzlich nicht die Wahrheit sagen |
Where the eye mixes legten and lügen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. legten runs 6 letters (CVCCVC) against lügen's 5 (CVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between legten and lügen
A purely visual mix-up. legten ([ˈleːktn̩]) and lügen ([ˈlyːɡn̩]) 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 11656, 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]. lügen is at rank #2,910, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈlyːɡn̩].
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 11656, this pair ranks #1,968,650 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of legten vs lügen
Shared letters: egln. Private to "legten": t. Private to "lügen": ü.
"legten" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "lügen" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- legten ← elgten · legetn · leggten · legtenn · legtne · legtten · letgen · lgeten
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "legten" and "lügen" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "legten" or "lügen"?
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 "legten" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "lügen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,968,650 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "legten" and "lügen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "legten vs lenzen". 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 #1,968,650 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.