leistenvsleiteWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“leisten” and “leite” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#1,397
“leisten” frequency rank
#21,339
“leite” frequency rank
22736
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature leisten leite
Definition sich selbst etwas Gutes tun, sich etwas gönnen 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs leiten

Where the spellings diverge

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

7 ch
leisten
5 ch
leite

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. leisten ([ˈlaɪ̯stn̩]) and leite ([ˈlaɪ̯tə]) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 22736, 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]. leite is at rank #21,339, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈlaɪ̯tə].

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 22736, this pair ranks #1,870,409 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of leisten vs leite

Shared letters: eilt. Private to "leisten": ns. Private to "leite": -.

"leisten" · 7 letters · shape CVVCCVC  ·  "leite" · 5 letters · shape CVVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • leistenelisten · leisetn · leissten · leistenn · leistne · leistten · leitsen · lesiten
  • leiteelite · leiet · letie · liete · lleite

Frequency comparison

leisten#1,397
leite#21,339

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "leisten" and "leite" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈlaɪ̯stn̩] versus [ˈlaɪ̯tə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "leisten" or "leite"?
"leisten" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,397 in our German list, against #21,339 for "leite". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering leisten vs leite

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • 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