LehenvsLehreWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#20,321
“Lehen” frequency rank
#2,840
“Lehre” frequency rank
23161
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Lehen Lehre
Definition etwas Geliehenes (auch feminin) sprachliche Darstellung eines Wissensgebietes in Lehrbüchern oder Vorträgen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Lehen and Lehre apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
Lehen
5 ch
Lehre

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Lehen ([ˈleːən]) and Lehre ([ˈleːʁə]) 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 23161, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Lehen is recorded at frequency rank #20,321, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈleːən]. Lehre is at rank #2,840, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈleːʁə].

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 23161, this pair ranks #1,864,998 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Lehen vs Lehre

Shared letters: ehl. Private to "Lehen": n. Private to "Lehre": r.

"Lehen" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "Lehre" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Lehenelhen · leehn · lehhen · lheen · llehen
  • Lehreelhre · leher · lehhre · lerhe · lhere · llehre

Frequency comparison

Lehen#20,321
Lehre#2,840

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Lehen" and "Lehre" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈleːən] versus [ˈleːʁə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Lehen" or "Lehre"?
"Lehre" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,840 in our German list, against #20,321 for "Lehen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Lehen vs Lehre

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 “Lehen” 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