leistenvsLeistungWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: leisten is a verb, Leistung is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“leisten” is a verb and “Leistung” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#1,397
“leisten” frequency rank
#1,162
“Leistung” frequency rank
2559
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature leisten Leistung
Definition sich selbst etwas Gutes tun, sich etwas gönnen gezielte Handlung, die zu einem bestimmten Ergebnis beziehungsweise der Lösung einer Aufgabe führt

Where the spellings diverge

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

7 ch
leisten
8 ch
Leistung

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

leisten and Leistung form a confusable pair in the German index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 1 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 2559, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

leisten is recorded at frequency rank #1,397, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈlaɪ̯stn̩]. Leistung is at rank #1,162, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈlaɪ̯stʊŋ].

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 2559, this pair ranks #2,002,080 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Frequency comparison

leisten#1,397
Leistung#1,162

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "leisten" and "Leistung" be used interchangeably?
No, "leisten" and "Leistung" have distinct meanings and cannot be swapped without changing the meaning of a sentence. Understanding the specific definition and context for each word is essential for correct usage.

Remembering leisten vs Leistung

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “leisten”; for a noun, it's “Leistung”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “leisten” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list