leichtesvsleuchtenWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: leichtes is a adjective, leuchten is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“leichtes” is an adjective and “leuchten” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#8,415
“leichtes” frequency rank
#8,244
“leuchten” frequency rank
16659
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature leichtes leuchten
Definition Nominativ Singular Neutrum Positiv der starken Flexion des Adjektivs leicht Licht aussenden

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set leichtes and leuchten apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
leichtes
8 ch
leuchten

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: leichtes is [ˈlaɪ̯çtəs] while leuchten is [ˈlɔɪ̯çtn̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 16659, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

leichtes is recorded at frequency rank #8,415, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈlaɪ̯çtəs]. leuchten is at rank #8,244, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈlɔɪ̯çtn̩].

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 16659, this pair ranks #1,934,027 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of leichtes vs leuchten

Shared letters: cehlt. Private to "leichtes": is. Private to "leuchten": nu.

"leichtes" · 8 letters · shape CVVCCCVC  ·  "leuchten" · 8 letters · shape CVVCCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • leichteselichtes · lecihtes · leicchtes · leichets · leichhtes · leichtess · leichtse · leichttes
  • leuchteneluchten · lecuhten · leucchten · leuchetn · leuchhten · leuchtenn · leuchtne · leuchtten

Frequency comparison

leichtes#8,415
leuchten#8,244

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "leichtes" and "leuchten" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "leichtes" is an adjective and "leuchten" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "leichtes" or "leuchten"?
"leuchten" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #8,244 in our German list, against #8,415 for "leichtes". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering leichtes vs leuchten

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “leichtes”; for a verb, it's “leuchten”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “leichtes” 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