Which to use
“Leibe” and “Lesbe” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #22,812
- “Leibe” frequency rank
- #39,511
- “Lesbe” frequency rank
- 62323
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Leibe | Lesbe |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Variante für den Dativ Singular des Substantivs Leib | Frau, die homosexuelle Neigungen besitzt, lesbisch ist |
Where the eye mixes Leibe and Lesbe
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. Leibe (CVVCV) and Lesbe (CVCCV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Look-alike desk: Leibe vs Lesbe
A purely visual mix-up. Leibe ([ˈlaɪ̯bə]) and Lesbe ([ˈlɛsbə]) 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 a single letter - i in “Leibe” becomes s in “Lesbe”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 62323, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Leibe is recorded at frequency rank #22,812, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈlaɪ̯bə]. Lesbe is at rank #39,511, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈlɛsbə].
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 62323, this pair ranks #717,146 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Leibe vs Lesbe
Shared letters: bel. Private to "Leibe": i. Private to "Lesbe": s.
"Leibe" · 5 letters · shape CVVCV · "Lesbe" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Leibe" for "Lesbe" ever safe?
Frequency check: "Leibe" vs "Lesbe" - 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 "Leibe" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Lesbe" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #717,146 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Leibe" and "Lesbe" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Leibes vs Lesbe". 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 #717,146 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.