Which to use
“lehn” and “lerne” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #34,238
- “lehn” frequency rank
- #6,215
- “lerne” frequency rank
- 40453
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | lehn | lerne |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs lehnen | 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs lernen |
Where the eye mixes lehn and lerne
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. lehn runs 4 letters (CVCC) against lerne's 5 (CVCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between lehn and lerne
A purely visual mix-up. lehn ([leːn]) and lerne ([ˈlɛʁnə]) 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 40453, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
lehn is recorded at frequency rank #34,238, classified as averb, pronounced [leːn]. lerne is at rank #6,215, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈlɛʁnə].
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 40453, this pair ranks #1,508,044 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of lehn vs lerne
Shared letters: eln. Private to "lehn": h. Private to "lerne": r.
"lehn" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "lerne" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "lehn" and "lerne" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "lehn" vs "lerne" - which ranks higher?
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 "lehn" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "lerne" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,508,044 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "lehn" and "lerne" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Lees vs lehn". 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 #1,508,044 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.