Which to use
“leih” is a verb and “lev” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #40,670
- “leih” frequency rank
- #33,169
- “lev” frequency rank
- 73839
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | leih | lev |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs leihen | Lew |
Where the eye mixes leih and lev
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between leih and lev
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: leih is [laɪ̯] while lev is [lɛv]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 73839, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
leih is recorded at frequency rank #40,670, classified as averb, pronounced [laɪ̯]. lev is at rank #33,169, tagged as anoun, pronounced [lɛv].
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 73839, this pair ranks #349,589 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of leih vs lev
Shared letters: el. Private to "leih": hi. Private to "lev": v.
"leih" · 4 letters · shape CVVC · "lev" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- leih ← elih · lehi · leihh · lleih
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "leih" and "lev" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "leih" or "lev"?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "leih" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "lev" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #349,589 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "leih" and "lev" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Lees vs leih". 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 #349,589 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.