LeitungvsLesungWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#1,605
“Leitung” frequency rank
#8,747
“Lesung” frequency rank
10352
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Leitung Lesung
Definition Beaufsichtigung, Betreuung, Führung, Verwaltung öffentlicher Vortrag eines Textes im Rahmen einer Veranstaltung, eines Gottesdienstes

Where the spellings diverge

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

7 ch
Leitung
6 ch
Lesung

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Leitung ([ˈlaɪ̯tʊŋ]) and Lesung ([ˈleːzʊŋ]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 10352, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Leitung is recorded at frequency rank #1,605, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈlaɪ̯tʊŋ]. Lesung is at rank #8,747, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈleːzʊŋ].

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 10352, this pair ranks #1,975,569 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Leitung vs Lesung

Shared letters: eglnu. Private to "Leitung": it. Private to "Lesung": s.

"Leitung" · 7 letters · shape CVVCVCC  ·  "Lesung" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Leitungelitung · leitnug · leittung · leitugn · leitungg · leitunng · leiutng · letiung
  • Lesungelsung · lesnug · lessung · lesugn · lesungg · lesunng · leusng · llesung

Frequency comparison

Leitung#1,605
Lesung#8,747

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Leitung" and "Lesung" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈlaɪ̯tʊŋ] versus [ˈleːzʊŋ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Leitung" or "Lesung"?
"Leitung" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,605 in our German list, against #8,747 for "Lesung". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Leitung vs Lesung

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 “Leitung” 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