Which to use
“lehn” and “lest” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #34,238
- “lehn” frequency rank
- #18,316
- “lest” frequency rank
- 52554
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | lehn | lest |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs lehnen | 2. Person Plural Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs lesen |
Where the eye mixes lehn and lest
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: lehn vs lest
A purely visual mix-up. lehn ([leːn]) and lest ([leːst]) 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 52554, 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]. lest is at rank #18,316, tagged as averb, pronounced [leːst].
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 52554, this pair ranks #1,092,238 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of lehn vs lest
Shared letters: el. Private to "lehn": hn. Private to "lest": st.
"lehn" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "lest" · 4 letters · shape CVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "lehn" and "lest" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "lehn" or "lest"?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "lehn" and "lest" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "lehn" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "lest" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,092,238 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "lehn" and "lest" 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 #1,092,238 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.