leisenvsLesensWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: leisen is a adjective, Lesens is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“leisen” is an adjective and “Lesens” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#20,323
“leisen” frequency rank
#46,111
“Lesens” frequency rank
66434
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature leisen Lesens
Definition Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs leise Genitiv Singular des Substantivs Lesen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set leisen and Lesens apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
leisen
6 ch
Lesens

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: leisen is [ˈlaɪ̯zn̩] while Lesens is [ˈleːzn̩s]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 4 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 66434, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

leisen is recorded at frequency rank #20,323, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈlaɪ̯zn̩]. Lesens is at rank #46,111, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈleːzn̩s].

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 66434, this pair ranks #573,405 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of leisen vs Lesens

Shared letters: elns. Private to "leisen": i. Private to "Lesens": -.

"leisen" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC  ·  "Lesens" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • leisenelisen · leiesn · leisenn · leisne · leissen · lesien · liesen · lleisen
  • Lesenselsens · leesns · lesenns · lesenss · lesesn · lesnes · lessens · llesens

Frequency comparison

leisen#20,323
Lesens#46,111

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "leisen" and "Lesens" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "leisen" is an adjective and "Lesens" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "leisen" or "Lesens"?
"leisen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #20,323 in our German list, against #46,111 for "Lesens". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering leisen vs Lesens

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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