lehrtvslernWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#10,894
“lehrt” frequency rank
#11,472
“lern” frequency rank
22366
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature lehrt lern
Definition 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs lehren 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs lernen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set lehrt and lern apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
lehrt
4 ch
lern

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. lehrt ([leːɐ̯t]) and lern ([lɛʁn]) 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 22366, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

lehrt is recorded at frequency rank #10,894, classified as averb, pronounced [leːɐ̯t]. lern is at rank #11,472, tagged as averb, pronounced [lɛʁn].

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 22366, this pair ranks #1,875,052 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of lehrt vs lern

Shared letters: elr. Private to "lehrt": ht. Private to "lern": n.

"lehrt" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC  ·  "lern" · 4 letters · shape CVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • lehrtelhrt · lehhrt · lehrrt · lehrtt · lehtr · lerht · lhert · llehrt
  • lernelrn · lenr · lernn · lerrn · llern · lren

Frequency comparison

lehrt#10,894
lern#11,472

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "lehrt" and "lern" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([leːɐ̯t] versus [lɛʁn]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "lehrt" or "lern"?
"lehrt" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #10,894 in our German list, against #11,472 for "lern". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering lehrt vs lern

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 “lehrt” 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